MEXICAN CHOCOLATE GREEN SMOOTHIE

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE GREEN SMOOTHIE

“Spice your food with love,
and it pleases every palate”
-Plautus

 

“In my family, we always say ‘the spicier the better.’ That’s why we included two of our favorite ingredients in today’s green smoothie. While by now you know we are chocolate lovers, and that there are many medicinal and pleasure based qualities to chocolate, try kicking it up with yet another superfood – cayenne pepper.

My son Elijah used to work for an organic farm where every fall they would harvest their cayenne peppers. One of Elijah’s jobs was to grind the dried peppers down to make them into the spice many of us know and love.  

Elijah would come home after long days at the farm working in greenhouse, grinding cayenne pepper, feeling better than ever. He would tell me his sinuses never felt clearer, and he thought of this process as a cleanse for his whole body and mind.  

We still have his homegrown cayenne pepper in our spice cupboard, and every time I use it I think of how elevated he felt as he ground it up for our cooking.”        

Health Fact: Cayenne pepper has many many health benefits, along with making a lot of foods taste yummy.

One of our favorites is how cayenne pepper (capsicum) boosts our metabolism and invigorates our energy. Cayenne pepper also boosts immunity, especially in the lungs and sinuses, making it a great remedy for the common colds and flus.

Cayenne is wonderfully detoxifying, good for circulation, and as my dear dad says: “cleans the blood.” Cayenne pepper can be used as a digestive support, including alleviating gas, bloating, and indigestion.

CHOPPED FIESTA SALAD

CHOPPED FIESTA SALAD

with Creamy Avocado Lime Dressing

This beautiful dish is a sneak peek into some of the nourishing meals we'll be serving at The Yoga of Eating Retreat this weekend!  It's a fresh, crunchy combination of romaine lettuce, yellow peppers, jicama, and radishes, topped with toasted chipotle pepitas, cilantro, scallions and a creamy avocado dressing.  So good - and so good for you. 

Fall is upon us! And with it comes amazing seasonal produce, like peppers, radishes, and tomatoes.  

Peppers are a colorful way to spice up any dish. This recipe uses yellow bell peppers for a pop of color and sweetness.  They're also a great source of Vitamin C and beta-carotene, to support your immune system going into the colder weather.

Radishes add a different kind of kick, with a refreshing and crisp spiciness to them.  They're full of antioxidants called anthocyanins, which have been found to specifically support the cardiovascular system and reduce inflammation.  Radishes are also a great detox food, as they help purify the blood and eliminate toxins. 

We can't forget about the tomatoes this time of year.  These bright orange cherry tomatoes are the perfect sweet addition to this recipe.  Lycopene is a special antioxidant in tomatoes that benefits the eyes and heart while reducing the risk of cancer and orange tomatoes may actually contain more of this nutrient than red ones.

The Yoga of Eating Retreat is about connecting the gap between your food, mind, body, and spirit.  Meals like this Chopped Fiesta Salad help us do just that.  Get the recipe below and enjoy the rise of fall!

Recipe and Photos from Ailsa Cowell at Food to Feel Good

SUMMER SPINACH BISQUE

SUMMER SPINACH BISQUE

This creamy soup is a creative, dairy-free way to get more of this season's delicious green offerings in your diet. It's packed with spinach, broccoli, onion, coconut milk, and potato to produce a smooth, satisfying meal that is bursting with nutrients

Nutritional Yeast is a great source of B-12, which is especially important for vegans and vegetarians, and it provides a cheesy, nutty flavor. 

 

Dark green vegetables like spinach and broccoli are imperative to any balanced healthy diet. They are both great sources of folate, which is vital for a healthy neurological system, and Vitamin A, to support your skin, eyes, and immunity.

As an added bonus, the good fats from the coconut milk help by assisting in the absorption of the Vitamin A!  These medium-chain fats are also an excellent source of energy and help to make this recipe extra filling.  Check out the recipe below and get the most out of your summer greens!

SPRING DANDELION PESTO

SPRING DANDELION PESTO

Dandelion is one of the most potent cleansing greens during the spring, and how convenient that they are popping up all over the place. Be sure that you know the source and you don’t ingest any pesticides along with your greens. You can also find organic dandelion at the local health food store.

Dandelion greens are super rich in many nutrients, like calcium, iron, potassium, and Vitamins C, E, and K - among many other impressive compounds.

The flavonoids in dandelion greens support the removal of toxins from the liver, stimulate bile production to aid in digestion, and also act as a diuretic to cleanse and replenish the kidneys.

You can add this delicious pesto to anything - soba noodles, zoodles, quinoa, chicken, or even salmon.  Get creative and enjoy this nourishing gift of Spring.

WHITE BEAN PESTO SALAD

White Bean and Pesto Salad

"Live. Love. Eat."

We have been loving this white been salad around here lately.   Cannellini beens (AKA white kidney beans) are full of great dietary fiber and super rich in minerals such as iron, magnesium, and potassium, while also a great source of protein.

We also love that these white kidney beans support the kidneys, the dominant organ of winter. White beens are hearty, tasty and just perfect with this delicious pesto tossed in. Serve over a bed of your favorite seared greens and you have yourself a great wintery warm salad.
 

This salad is the perfect side dish for any kind of meal, and can even be enjoyed as a mid-day snack! 

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

" NO ONE EVER MADE A DIFFERENCE BY BEING LIKE EVERYONE ELSE "

P.T. BARNUM

As I write to you today, I am enjoying one of those awestruck picture-perfect, wintery days here in Boulder... A fresh snow fall, a clear blue sky and the majesty of what I most love about Colorado – nature's beauty.  
  

For the past few weeks, I have been enjoying the quiet inner space of winter: finding my flow with 2018, cozying up with my honey, snowshoeing in the beautiful Rocky Mountains, resting more, and treating myself to a few of my favorite things.  


Sovereignty, embodiment and presence happen for me more naturally in a sacred space filled with ambiance, quietude and a moment to step away from the chatter of daily life – for a minute.


This time of musing with my inner world and indulging myself with my favorite goodies has been inspiring my creative juices to flow more freely.


So, today I want to share with you a few of my favorite things. As you will see, they all have a little something in common: they nourish me on many levels, they enhance my daily experience and they simply make things a bit brighter, tastier and sweeter.

I would LOVE to know more about you too. This past couple of months the Boulder Nutrition's readership has expanded in big and beautiful ways. Let's get to know each other! What are your favorite things? (scroll down to share your comments 💗)


To your simple pleasures...
 

A Few Of My Favorite Things

{Nutritionist Approved}

 

As a health care practitioner, I get asked questions all the time about different kinds of health products, supplements, superfoods etc.  I like to try new things out and do my research so I can be better informed to answer your questions.  I linked these all up below, so you can explore for yourself if you feel called.

Most of my favorite things have come from this type of informal research and of course, my love of health, radiance, pleasure and feeling our best.  I hope you enjoy!

Pekoe :: Steamed Mate 

You may see me around Pekoe Sip House if you are a Boulder local.  My office is right across the street, so I meander over often on breaks to grab myself a cup of steamed Mate.  When I drink Yerba Mate, I always feel energized, clear minded and focussed.  It is my favorite helper for long days or  days when I get immersed in my writing.

Yerba Mate has been used as a base for herbal medicines in South America for centuries, and the plant’s benefits and therapeutic properties have recently been verified by a number of scientific studies. The chemical components of Yerba Mate are similar to those found in green tea; however, Yerba Mate is even more nutritious and alkalizing.

Foodie Fuel

Do you ever just need a quick snack, but can't think of something that will truly fuel you up?  Foodie Fuel is the answer.  Founded by a friend of mine, Eloise Nelson and her partner Chris here in Boulder CO, Foodie Fuel is high in protein, paleo friendly, naturally sweetened, gluten free, non-GMO and super tasty treat.  My favorite flavor is the Butter Toffee.  

You can buy Foodie Fuel at most health food stores, Amazon, and of course right from their website (linked above)

Pangea :: Canadian Pine and White Sage Essential Oil

Okay.  First off, I grew up in Canada.  In college I became a tree planter in my summers off, way up near the border of Alaska. I have a serious emotional connection to the smell of Canadian pine trees.  This essential oil takes me right back. Long baths with a few drops are so comforting.  But wait...the best is when Jason and I sprinkle in on our pillows, turn on some forest music to fall asleep to, as we gaze at the glow in the dark stars on my ceiling... we feel like we are camping, and we get a great nights sleep. 

Pine Oil has a warming, purifying quality with properties that freshen the air and benefit the respiratory, nervous and circulatory systems. For the mind, pine is at once elevating, grounding and expanding. For the body, it is cleansing and invigorating.

Pangea Organics, another local Boulder company founded by an old friend of mine, Josh Onysko, gone international.  You can even find his company in Singapore.  They have a wonderful online store and an incredibly potent and pure line of essential oils.

Gaia Herbs :: Golden Milk

I used to make golden milk a lot, in fact there is a great recipe in the Winter Self-Care and Recipe Guide (that you can download for free by clicking the announcement bar at the top of this page).  Then I tried the fairly new Gaia Herbs Golden Milk.  WOW!  It is delicious and it has one of my favorite ingredients for sleep, stress and adrenal health: ashwaganda (an Ayurvedic herb).  

Golden milk is full of one of natures most potent superfood, turmeric.  

Turmeric is both a super food and a super spice.

Turmeric is ranked number 6 of the top 100 high ORAC value antioxidant foods which really means it is one potent substance.  Turmeric is a spice most commonly found in curry but its medical benefits are golden rich.

Some of the most amazing turmeric properties include: destroying multi-drug resistant cancer, destroying cancer stem cells, protecting against radiation-induced damage, reducing unhealthy levels of inflammation, protecting against heavy metal toxicity and preventing and reversing Alzheimer’s disease associated pathologies.  

Instant Pot

Sometimes my mom knows best.  Especially in the case of my Instant Pot.  I would have never purchased this kitchen miracle on my own (I'm a bit more of a traditionalist in the kitchen) but she surprised me with this gift for my birthday last month.  

I was skeptical and a bit intimidated by all the buttons and things this kitchen wonder can do (yogurt making rice cooking, sauteing, slow cooking, pressure cooking etc)

With just a little practice (it's been a month) I am figuring it out.  I have made a few soups, stews, chilli, and some other goodies in less than 20 min – start to finish.

Apparently this was the most purchased item on Amazon this past holiday season.  Worth checking out? 

YES!  Just sayin.  

(if you want to peak at my first instant pot attempt check out m y post from January 20th HERE)

LuluLemon :: Align Tights

I am a texture person for sure.  ALL of my clothes need to be somewhat soft and cozy. While I have worn Lululemon clothing for years (and they are also a Canadian company founded in my home town, Vancouver) these particular pants are my new favorite.  

Cozy, comfy, well fitted and soft to the touch.  I treated myself to two pairs recently, and you will find me wearing them probably a little too often.  

Lululemon has many many other wonderful items in their shop.  They are my go-to store for most of my yoga attire.

Birch Bender Paleo Pancakes

Being highly hypoglycemic and on the far end of the protein type spectrum, I have never been able to eat pancakes (even the gluten free ones) without a major blood sugar red-alert.  Not the case with these tasty easy paleo pancakes.  Ari and I make these on the weekends for brunch all the time.  Honestly, I feel great afterwards – full of energy and perfectly balanced with no blood sugar crash in sight.

I really like the taste and the ingredients.  We all need a pancake once in a while right? These could not be easier to make, totally affordable, and super yummmmm.  Check out one of my favorite ways to enjoy them HERE.

Lovely Lady :: Facial Nutrients

Lovely Lady is a local fair trade organic delightful skin care company that a friend introduced me to.  I am so addicted, especially in the winter months with the dry Colorado air.  

I use the Everlasting-Argan Immortelle Facial Nutrient morning and night and I love it!

One of the key ingredients is helichrysum essential oil. There's a reason this oil is called "Everlasting" and "Immortelle". This flower will not wilt or wither after it has been picked. This formula is complete with properties from the immortelle plant, so just imagine how effective these properties can be for your skin.

(Unsweetened) Bhakti Chai

I love to buy un-sweetened versions of things because I am a bit of a sugar patrol, and it can just sneak into almost anything these days. 

I LOVE the spicy, tasty warming hues to this delicious chai, and I love to add my own sweetener (usually raw honey) with my own milk of choice (usually raw milk or Ripple).

This is a great treat to order at some of Boulder's hip coffee shops (most of them carry it) or of course buy the grab and go version from local health food stores.

Sometimes, I even make my chia pudding with Bhakti Chai.  That's some wintery goodness right there.

Winter, warming, tasty, naturally sweet and full of spicy gingery goodness.

Fresh Thymes Eatery

We all need that place that feels like the food is made just for our palate.  Fresh Thymes Eatery is locally owned, organic, gluten free, dairy free and easy to swing into for lunch or dinner.  

I love when I can order anything on the menu and not have to worry.  

Some of my favorites are the Crying Tiger Bowl (no quinoa, sub extra veggies), the skirt steak combo plate and the dairy free, gluten free Mac Attach (their version of mac and cheese).  I also grab there bone broth to-go if I am fighting something off and haven't had the energy to make my own.

Affordable, effieicnt, easy and so tasty.  

Isagenix Amped Hydrate Electrolytes

We all need a little electrolyte boost here and there.  I enjoy my favorite electrolytes (raise your hand for orange) after my morning spin or yoga class, before bed for some extra hydration, and really any time at all.  

These electrolytes help me to drink more water.  I crave salt, and the little bit of sea salt in here hits the spot. These are infused with lots of B vitamins, a little bit of stevia and raw honey, and a great flavor.

Click the linked title above for all the deets!

Wonder Press :: The Cure (pressed ginger and lemon shot)

Okay.  Let's talk about the flu.  So many folks have been hit hard this year.  As soon as I feel something coming on this is my cure.  These little shots of wonder are a ginormous immune boosters.  You can totally make this at home if you have a juicer, and it is always nice to know where you can get them if you want a grab and go. 

Ginger is a wonderful immune booster that naturally warms us up in the colder days of winter.  This superfood is great for digestive issues, flus – very anti-bacterial, anti-viral.  

I often cut this concoction with a little hot water as it is super strong.  

Instacart

Like most new technology, it takes me a little while to get on board.  It wasn't until Ari and I were sitting at the Seattle airport on our way home from a family trip when I tested out Instacart.  Have you tried it?

I got home at nearly 10 pm that night with a fresh bag of groceries waiting for me.  How awesome is that after a week of traveling and a long travel day?  

My day-to-day life can get a little full here and there and on those days, Instacart is the answer to simplifying.

When you download the app on your phone, you can pick your grocery store, choose your items, pick a time for delivery and voila, easy peesy.  

Instacart is blowing up, so if you are not in Boulder, you may find it showing up near you soon.  

Kavinace

We all no there is nothing better than a good night of sleep.  While there are many many things to do to create a happy sleep environment, sometimes we need a little boost.

On our retreat in Costa Rica this fall, we brought some with us, and before you know it we were sharing sleep support with many of our retreaters.  The results were amazing. Many of the ladies said they slept better than ever.  Being a health care practitioner, I have used many many sleep formulas with my clients – this one works the best by far.

One of our Boulder Nutrition team members works for Pharmaca (Boulder's holistic pharmacy) where she reported that this product is the number one best seller of all supplements store wide.

I love it's blend of amino acids and melatonin and how it addresses so many imbalances that could be causing restless nights.  

Here's to great sleep!!

Above photo credit: Jeremy Sheehan (@jcshamrock)

---

TRUTH TALKS ~ SESSION 1

TRUTH TALKS ~ SESSION 1

" THREE THINGS CANNOT BE LONG HIDDEN:
THE SUN, THE MOON AND THE TRUTH "

BUDDHA

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of sitting in a beautiful circle of women dedicated to improving their relationship to food and their bodies.



As with most circles of women I have sat in, there was a lot to talk about. Each woman had a chance to share some of her struggles, tell her personal truths, and shed some of her unwanted beliefs about food, health, and body image.



As I listened, shared, and witnessed this circle, I realized that wrapped up in our conversation is a whole lot of talking about what we think we 'should be doing'. Ironically, many of these 'shoulds' contradict each other.



I noticed that many of us had gotten so far from what feels good in our bodies, and replaced our innate intuitive wisdom with many of the most common health myths or 'shoulds'.



We (as a culture) frequently hand over our power to what online health trends and media are telling us to do rather than trusting ourselves and our own unique needs.




We are all looking for answers ...




... Answers about how to feel good in our bodies.
... Answers on what is the best thing to have for lunch.
... Answers on how to overcome our cravings.
... Answers on how to be our best selves.  



It can feel complicated.  It can be confusing.  But most of all...it is completely unique and individual.  




I wanted to share with you today a new summer series I created to help with some of this confusion...



 

*WELCOME TO THE TRUTH TALK SESSIONS*

For the next few weeks, join me in a little immersion into some of the ways we can reframe our health and reclaim our power. Together, we will take a deeper look at some of our personal beliefs and some automatic ways we tend to orient around our health.  Truth talks are little nuggets of truth for you tochew on. We will debunk some common health myths and find our way back home to ourselves.


 

TRUTH TALKS ~ SESSION 1:

1.  DON'T GET TO BOXY:  Out there in the world of health, there are quite a few boxes in which you could try to fit. While many of them contain some wisdom, many oppose the others and are just simply too boxy for most of us. One observation I have made about human consciousness is that we like defining ourselves by our boxes. We like being part of something. We like declaring these personal flavors on social media. We like to be known for our chosen box. This seems especially true with the type of EATER we are: Vegetarian, paleo, low carb, gluten free, vegan, ... and even purist, cleanser, or perfectionist.  

TRUTH:  You don't have to pick a box. You don't have to stay in only one box. YOU are not your box (P.S. I know how funny that sounds, but decided to keep it to make you all smile a bit)





2.  YOU ARE NOT DIRTY:  While there are so many great reasons for cleansing, resetting, turning over a new leaf, and giving your body some serious food love, you are not dirty.  Our bodies naturally cleanse themselves regularly and there are some nice little treats we can give ourselves to up the anti a little here and there, if we care to.  While the incredibly trendy cleansing practices can be helpful, be careful not to go overboard.

TRUTH:  Cleanse for the love of it, not because you are dirty.  Cleanse for self-care not for punishment or because you hate your body.  
Cleanse for health, not because your feel icky or disgusted with yourself. Most of all, if you decide to cleanse, cleanse with care.





3.  GLUTEN IS NOT THE ENEMY:  While it is very true that many folks have a hard time digesting gliadin (the gluten protein) and gluten in large amounts is surely inflammatory, a little bit of gluten here and there is not worth hating yourself over. While celiac is totally real (I once met a man who projectile vomited within moments of gluten hitting his tongue) most of us are NOT celiac. Food allergies are a big issue in today's world, but gluten is not the only allergen to consider. I see blood test results every week that show many other foods as the culprits of digestive issues, skin issues, fatigue, brain fog, depression and many other symptoms.

TRUTH:  If you are not celiac or do not notice negative symptoms directly related to eating gluten, a little dose of gluten once in a while won't hurt. 





4.  THERE IS MORE TO HEALTH THAN GREEN JUICE: The green juice trend is rampant here in Boulder. While I am a big fan of a little green juice, green juice is NOT the key to our health or our happiness. Some people find it too bitter. Others, find it too expensive. For many of us, it's just not on our radar.  As you have probably noticed, our culture tends to take things to the extreme. Too much green juice can be hard on our digestion because it is missing all the fiber. In large quantities, green juice can also interact negatively with thyroid issues. While I love me some green juice, it is not the cure all for our health.

TRUTH:   Our health has many, many more important components than green juice:  How we think about ourselves, how we move our body each day, how we sit down and eat our meals, the intention we put into our food and our health, as well as how we sleep each night, and how we relate to others, are much more important aspects on which to focus.  Have a little green juice...or not.  





5.  SELF-LOVE IS NOT A SWITCH:  We hear about self-love everywhere.  We are often simply told to love ourselves more as if it were an on-off switch. While I believe in the practice of self-love immensely, it is a spectrum, a practice, and a life-long journey that is often incredibly complex and messy. Finding acceptance and compassion for ourselves is easy on some days, and almost impossible on others.

TRUTH: Self-love is not a constant, but rather a practice and a fluid expression of ourselves. True self-love is the practice of loving ourselves when we are not doing well, when we trash our clean eating program, or when we binge on potato chips. True self-love is the practice of loving ourselves through a broken heart, exhaustion, or when we miss our daily workout. True self-love is the practice of loving compassion through a hard transition, a change, or even a total failure.  So...be gentle with yourself.  Somedays will be easier than others to LOVE yourself. It's human, it's real.  

Have some thoughts or insights about these truths?  Have some requests for next week? Please comment below.  I love hearing from you!!


With love and peace...

SPRING SYNERGY

SPRING SYNERGY

The cycles of the seasons harmonize us with the rhythms of nature, reminding us that we are nature. Within these, nature goes through everything on the spectrum – from full bloom to death and decay.

The more we feel into the elemental cycles around us, present for all life forms on the planet, the more we can ride the waves and rhythms in ourselves. This knowing is embedded in our true nature, our cellular DNA and our innate animal wisdom.

Spring synergy is intuitive when we listen.  Often, in our bustling culture and our busy day-to-day lives we tend to miss these intuitive cues in and around ourselves, but it is never too late to return to the most natural part of our existence.  Following the innate rhythms of the seasons informs our body’s wisdom, our emotional intelligence, and our manifestation of our health and vitality in the world around us.

According to Traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, each season comes with a unique energetic quality, nourishment, dominant organ,emotion and action. Synchronizing with each season’s expression is like medicine for the body, mind and soul.

Let’s take a stroll through the earthly cycle dedicated to SPRING and begin to understand and how spring reflects around us and within us.

SPRING

Spring is the most healing, creative, and vital season of the year.

As we emerge from the winter months, we often feel the urge to cleanse our lives, our bodies, and our beings for an energized renewal.

Blooming into spring’s brilliance is a synergy of some important aspects of life.  During spring, ruled by the wood element, our energy and vitality heighten, we wake up from winter’s rest to energize our life force, creativity, and zeal. We clear and cleanse the sacred spaces of our bodies, minds and homes to find a fresh rebirth for ourselves to gain a renewed momentum.

Spring points us to where we can clean out and cleanse what is not serving us in our lives.

 

 

 

Energy: Awaken

Spring is the time to renew the pleasures that our physical bodies are designed to feel.  Transforming from the quieter more inward season of winter into spring, we may feel a little tired, a little sluggish, and even a little resistant to turning towards the bright new energy of this season. When senses wake up with the beauty of nature blooming all around us, we heighten the pleasure in our bodies and hearts.  Spring is abounding with passion, excitement, inspiration and love.

Nourish: Cleanse

As the leafy bitter greens sprout and emerge in our gardens, and the dandelions fill our yards, try finding some ways to cleanse your body and mind with some of spring’s treasures.

At this time of year, we are designed to eat lighter and leafier greens, – spring’s medicinal liver cleansing foods (such as dandelions) that are in full abundance.  The flavor of spring is bitter, which in turn supports the liver in cleansing and strengthening.  Walking through the farmers’ market I love to gather bright green baby arugula, an array of sprouts for my spring salads and colorful tulips to beautify my home and office.

     

Consider:

o   Eating lighter and more bitter foods

o   Growing your own fresh salad spring garden

o   Sprouting seeds such as alfalfa, broccoli, or sunflower in your kitchen with a sprouting jar.

o   Roasting radishes, asparagus, artichokes and spring onions to support your liver and uplift your spirit.

o   Brewing up some dandelion or nettles’ tea to cleanse your body and support any spring allergies or hay fever.

 

Organ and Emotion: Liver, Anger and Hope

After a long winter’s rest, a time most of us eat heavier foods and perform less physical activity, our bodies often become more sedentary and our livers more stagnant.  The dominant organ of spring is the liver, housing the emotions of anger and resistance.

As we begin to attune to spring, we naturally support the liver in cleansing, and releasing the anger and resistance that winter has accumulated.  Once our energy begins to flow more freely, and our bodies and minds become clear and free, we are most often left with the inspiration of hope and renewal for what is ahead.  The blooming flowers and new greenery inspire a renewed attitude and passion.

 

Action: Frolic

One of the most effective ways to energize our lives in the spring is through daily movement. Practices such as yoga, hiking, and dance can help to awaken the spring within us. Enliven your spirit and uplift your moxie with some inspired movement of your own.

I love to take late afternoon walks in the beautiful spring air, sauntering along the creek path near my house where I can behold the array of flowers and trees blooming. Remembering to feel good in our bodies through movement we can savor the sensuality of spring. Enjoying our bodies and the heightened senses that come with spring is one of the most potent ways to elevate our sensuality and pleasure.

Spring is an exciting time to start anew, plant our seeds of intention and watch, tend, and nurture them as the season unfolds.

 

A FEW THINGS YOU MIGHT WANT TO KNOW ABOUT TOXICITY

"ENERGY FLOWS WHERE ATTENTION GOES"

 

Imagine with me for a moment:  
 

• What if your habit of rolling over and hitting snooze every morning was replaced with a bright eyed and bushy tailed start to the day?

• What if instead, the sluggish feeling that follows you around all day was replaced wtihinspiration and fervor?

• What if your oh-so-common brain fog could shift into mental clarity and a laser beam focus?

• What if your achy joints and inflammation could subside, so you could fully embrace the beauty of spring all around you with more outdoor time, exercise, and freedom to persue your dreams?

What I am going to share with you today comes from what I have personally learned about my energy and vitality through my own experimentation and deep inquiry.  I will also share what has impacted my daily rhythm, my food choices, my sleep patterns, my libido, my cravings and even my internal dialog and self-talk.



I have learned what works for me.  I have learned what is sustainable for me in the world today.  I have learned about health, combined with a deep priority for pleasure, that doesn't feel restrictive or depriving. I have learned to be fluid, feminine and intuitive as things are always changing and I have learned that we each have our own unique recipe for feeling our best.



I have put the past 15+ years of my work into discovering this for myself and today I want to share a couple of these specific nuggets with you – my favorite ones for spring. 



The truths toxicity are real, important and impactful, while also being be daunting, fearful, and overwhelming. Don't worry, I have some answers for you....



These truths have supported me greatly in my own journey with health and high energy living and I want the same to be available for you.  



1.  Toxicity is one of the primary blocks to your metabolism working at it's best. A high toxic load will literally slow down your cellular metabolism of energy. You will feel more sluggish, lethargic, tired, and depleted.


2.  Toxicity can literally impede, inhibit or block the efficient functioning of our cells, tissues, organs, systems and biochemical processes. This could lead to the slow onset of degenerative disease that gets harder and harder to reverse over time. Toxicity makes the body's natural ability to heal and find equilibrium more and more compromised.


3.  Toxicity creates and/or exacerbates inflammation in our bodies.  Many of us in the world today are struggling with inflammation in relationship to various health issues. Inflammation is a big problem, and the root of most health issues. Inflammation is only made worse with some of our daily exposures to toxicity.


4.  When our toxic load is high, accumulated or frequent, it prevents us from burning and releasing fat.  All those attempts you may have made were not futile on your part, you were not at a plateau, or doing things 'wrong'. Your body just cannot lose weight effectively with toxicity in the way.


We all are exposed to high amounts of toxicity in the world today – its unavoidable. Toxicity is prevalent in our food, our water and our air. While we can surely minimize our exposure with clean, healthy living, the reality is toxicity needs a bit more assertion than that for us to feel our best.


I've been busily working on some solutions for you and I have put together some very useful, practical and work-able practices for you to explore .
  

 

What do you seek to shed this spring to “lighten” up and access your inner freedom, energy and brilliance?

 .

7 REASONS TO DRINK BONE BROTH + MY FAVORITE RECIPE

The aroma from my crockpot fills the house each Sunday afternoon. Something about my house smelling like home cooked soup takes me back to my childhood. As I wipe down the counters and pour another cup of tea, I carefully lift the lid (again) to have yet another little taste. 


Like many of you, I am a creature of habit. 


I like my daily/weekly rhythm. I enjoy cooking my favorite meals regularly,  hikei my favorite trails in Boulder County often, Jason and I have our favorite restaurants around town, and I try to keep up with my most effective and nourishing self-care practices each week. 



While trying new things is also part of my adventurous personality, I do it in smaller increments these days so I don't throw myself too far off from what I know works and feels good. 



This past year, I have added a weekly broth making routine.  Each Sunday morning I get my trusty crockpot going with some delicious broth ingredients. Sometimes I make an alkalizing veggie broth (more to come on that one) and often times slow cooked bone broth.  I drink it regularly throughout the week and I have noticed some key benefits which I want to share with you today. 



Last week I posted the photo above on my Instagram page. I was pleasantly surprised to find more likes and comments than usual.  Many folks requested the recipe, many folks wanted to know more about bone broth, so as promised, here you are:
 

 

7 REASONS TO DRINK BONE BROTH + MY FAVORITE RECIPE

 

While you may have heard a lot about bone broth, tasted it at a local health food store, or from your grandmothers soup pot, you may not realize that not only is it super simple to make, but it is also a medicinal nourishing tonic that can make a really big impact on your health. 

Bone broth is becoming so popular amidst recent health and wellness trends for a few very important reasons.

1.  METABOLIC SUPPORT

Bone broth is chock full of gelatin.  There have been many studies on the health benefits of gelatin throughout history showing it's healing power for ailments from ulcers, to diabetes to tuberculosis. In the case of your metabolism, a regular dose of gelatin in your diet, especially from homemade bone broth, has been shown to be extremely satiating and metabolically stimulating, as well as decreasing the need for overall protein and fat in the rest of our diets by up to 50%.  Metabolically speaking, bone broth keeps your blood sugar stable and keeps you in the fat burning zone.  

2.  DIGESTION

One of the most effective and healing ingredients in bone broth are the amino acids – glutamine and proline. If you suffer from food allergies, leaky gut syndrome, autoimmune symptoms, or IBS, bone broth is for you.  Glutamine is one of my favorite supplements for healing digestion, digestive inflammation while rebuilding and strengthening the digestive wall (which gets thinned during digestive illness).  A regular dose of bone broth will do wonders for your digestion.

3. JOINT HEALTH

Bone broth is also full of glucosamine and chondroitin.  Both of these nutrients are specifically helpful for joint pain, inflammation, arthritis symptoms, and mobility.

4.  IMMUNITY

Bone broth is a mineral superfood!  Your immune system functions on minerals.  All of the bone broth minerals specifically feed your immune system for a stronger healthier you.  Who knew our grandmothers' chicken soup really was a cure all!

5.  SKIN REPAIR AND HEALTH

One of the main ingredients found in bone broth is collagen. The main nutrient we need for healthy skin, hair and nails is collagen. Collagen helps to maintain the skin's natural elasticity (good bye wrinkles) while promoting smooth and supple skin.

6.  PROTEIN AND FAT NUTRITION

Bone broth is full of assimilatable natural protein and fat.  Glycine, found in the protein of bone broth, stabilizes your blood sugar, boosts energy production, increases satiation and builds muscle mass.  

7.  DETOXIFICATION AND CLEANSING

While most of us could use a little liver love in the world today, bone broth is an easy tonic to include in your daily regiment to support your liver and kidneys in a gentle yet effective cleansing.  The high amounts of glycine in bone broth are incredibly effective in aiding the body in its natural ability to detoxify regularly.

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There are many, many ways to cook bone broth.  Some are plain and simple, while others get more creative and complex.  This favorite of mine is somewhere right in the middle. This one is simple, yet full of some of my favorite spices and flavors.  Try it as a soup, sauce for your favorite stir-fry, or a warming beverage right out of your favorite mug.

Questions, comments, requests, recipes?  Please tell me all about them in the comments below.  If you know someone who would benefit from this information please feel free to share it with them using the  button below.

A SOLISTICE RITUAL AND RECIPE

 The temperature outside has fluctuated to a chilly low in Colorado this week.  I have often been bundled up with blankets by the fire, drinking hot tea and relaxing.  My brisk wintery walks have been invigorating, and my warm soothing baths have been the perfect anecdote for getting cozy.

The winter is definitely upon us.

Both the winter and summer solstice have been my favorite days since I was just a young child.  In northern Canada, where I grew up in my early years, the solstices (winter and summer) were pretty extreme.

The dark nights of winter were very dark, cold and long, and the light days of summer made the days seem to go on forever.  For me, there was an obvious magic to nature and her cycles, even back then.

So today, on one of my most favorite days of the year, I decided to OPEN registration a little early for THE YOGA OF EATING 2017 as well as bring to you my wintery gift – THE SOLSTICE SESSIONS.

For the next few weeks, I will be sharing with you the FREE rich and heartwarming Solstice Sessions.  These are my little whispers of winter’s wisdom, some guidance as we descend into the darkest nights of the year, and some appetizers from my most complete body of work, THE YOGA OF EATING 2017 that begins this January. (registration is open).  I hope you enjoy some of this free content, as much as I love creating it for you.

Because… what I used to consider a cold, stressful and tender time of year has now become a time I cherish.

When I say descend, what I mean is my descent into my inner world - through all her peaks and valleys – where the darkest nights of the year have become a great teacher and chaperon to my own insight and wisdom.

Some would say this descent has been known throughout time, myth, and story as a descent into the underworld.  Others see it as the most potent nights to pray or connect to our higher selves. Often we hone how to vision with clarity and precision for the upcoming New Year.

The dark nights expand to cultures worldwide with unique and diverse wintery wisdoms and rituals.

In today’s Solstice Session you will learn:

• Learn the biggest challenge women face over the holidays.
• Some short and sweet solstice rituals begin your own dark night descent – embracing winters wisdoms.
• How to restore your life force and your energy with my most favorite winter warming smoothie.

Have you been busy bustling and hustling to get ready for your holidays? Amidst all of the gift buying, holiday parties and decorating things can get pretty zany out there.

The most common complaints we all know during the holidays: tired, drained, doing too much, over extended, and trying to please everyone else.

This is the # 1 challenge women face each holiday season.

The energetics of winter remind us to hunker down, slow down, and restore our prana (life force). We benefit from cooking our food slow and long, finding coziness and warmth together in our families and communities, while warming our hearts with connection to ourselves and others we love. Follow these three R’s for some simple reminders and reflections.

RESTORE

This year, turn over a new “snow flake” and give to yourself first. You will have plenty more to give to those you love when you do.

How you might ask?

That is exactly what Solstice Sessions are for. Little winter wisdoms to inspire you and remind you that you can live as your own VIP.

Try these daily practices to stay centered and calm:

• Create some daily down time – just for you.
• Go bed a little earlier – winter is a time for rest and restoration.
• Reflect with your inner self – journal, meditate, listen inward
• Take warm soothing baths – these will relax you, boost your immune system and help you sleep
• Bundle up and get outside – the crisp winter days bring energy and vitality
• Order your gifts online – avoid those lines and the holiday bustle
• Say NO more often – save your YES's for the important stuff
• Keep things simple in your celebrations – simple is the new smart

RITUALIZE

The winter solstice is the perfect time to begin a reflection practice for the years end. The darkest night in many cultures has symbolized the new year and returning of the light.  Often winter solstice rituals include candle light, fires and warming foods.

Take some time to look back on your year and enjoy contemplating all the things you have been through (easy or tough), and the life lessons learned in the process, the intentions actualized, and finally bridge some ideas as to where you are heading for the new year to come. (more on the years beginning ritual to come soon)

• Release the old with reverence
• Celebrate the small successes and the little things that matter most
• Relish in the magic of synchronicities, the power of intentions and the opportunities that have come your way.
• Let go of judgement and self-criticism (pretty please)
• Most of all…Count your blessings – big and small

Here some ways create a winter solstice ritual moment:

• Light candles or lanterns and savor the darkness as you take some time in silence to hold your year in a magical embrace.
• Release the old with a fire ritual – burning a list of the aspects of your year you would like to release or let go of. Be gentle with yourself. Use a fireplace, a fire pit, or even hold the burning paper and flush it.
• Spend some time writing in your journal reflecting on the past year, who you were when the year began last January, and what you have learned about yourself and life since then.

REPLENISH

Winter eating entails preparing seasonal whole foods that can be stored, canned, or kept for the colder days of winter. Emphasize warming foods that stimulate digestion, circulation, and immunity.  Share food with loved ones, focus on the pleasure of eating and the coming together of love and light.

Here are some good winter foods to explore:

• Warming soups and stews
• Root vegetables
• Beans (especially adzuki and mung beans)
• Miso and seaweed
• Garlic and ginger
• Warming spices like cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and cloves.

Try this wintery warming smoothie to nourish your body, mind and soul.

smoothie-gingerbread

Recipe by Chef Bailey Ruskus

This is my holiday treat for you this year.  A candlelit path into the darkest nights of the year and some tasters from the The Yoga of Eating 2017Online Course and Community that begins this January – check out all the details below.

The Yoga of Eating 2017: the most in depth and detailed body of work I offer, a way to work with me personally while feeling the support of others on a similar path … to transform your relationship to food and your body.

Many of you have daydreamed of life filled with positive thoughts and habits that support your health and your happiness. If that is the case, The Yoga of Eating is just right for you.

This 6 month online course and community is full of incredible resources, potent international guest teachers, deep and reflective monthly content, guided yoga and meditation practices to enhance your inner journey, a beautiful circle of women from many corners of the world, and age old practices that guide us to deep healing from the inside out.

Click Here to learn all about The Yoga of Eating 2017 … and how this year you can become your own VIP in all things health and happiness.

FROM MY KITCHEN TO YOURS

The fall wind has been stirring up the fallen leaves around my neighborhood this past week. I have been enjoying my brisk and invigorating late afternoon walks amidst the crimson and golden trees.

It is such a beautiful time of year here in Boulder.

Each year, as I say goodbye to my summer adventures and play, I find some solace with the inward pull that fall brings.  One of my favorite parts of this magical season is my natural urge to spend time in my kitchen cooking, creating, and reviving my crockpot.

With the cooler weather creeping in, my favorite fall harvest foods (pumpkins, root veggies, and roasted chillies) and the inspiration to increase my self-care and restoration, I turn to my daily practice of nourishment and self-care rituals.

Life is most often full, and amidst the fullness, the Fall transition is reminding us to slow down.  

This week, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite fall foods and tonics that I have been experimenting with in my kitchen. These are easy, quick, and soothing recipes that I hope you will have fun perusing and experimenting with.

The little things we do for ourselves each day add up.  Everything we do in the name of health, nourishment and self-care – no matter how small – is a win.

I invite you to take some time just for you this weekend. Nourish, rest, reflect and restore.

Keep Reading to (and download) some of my FALL FAVORITES from my kitchen to yours

Alkaline Broth

This is an age old traditional broth recipe rich with tons of antioxidants, trace minerals, and anti-inflammatory qualities.

Download FULL recipe HERE

Golden Milk

This is a super yummy and tasty warming tonic to help you sleep, boost your immune system and decrease any inflammation.

Download FULL recipe HERE

Warm Fall Beat Salad

Warming, soothing, and delicious.

View fullsize

Download FULL Recipe HERE

Pumpkin Spice Paleo Muffins

Hi protein, spicy and tasty little bites of Fall.

Download FULL recipe HERE

Slow Roasted Colorado Lamb

Nothing like slow cooked meals at this time of year.  This is one of my all-time favorites.

Download FULL recipe HERE

About Sue Van Raes...

I'm a Nutritional therapist, food psychology expert and Lifestyle Coach.

My mission is to help heal the feminine through food, mind-body connection and pleasure. Learn more here.

In our work together we will dive into deep healing for the body and soul while I offer you practical, potent teachings that will open your heart to trust, your mind to possibility and your body to its organic wisdom.

I am chock full of resources for you including INSPIRING content and a wide range of support to help you find your way in all things food and body.

Feel free to read more about me and how I can help you HERE

LET GO AND FEEL THE INCREDIBLE LIGHTNESS OF LESS

LET GO AND FEEL THE INCREDIBLE LIGHTNESS OF LESS

This past Saturday morning, I sat up in my adorable little yurt, just as the sun was rising over the Sangre De Cristo mountains.  I reached for my cozy slippers (I had brought them with me) and meandered over to the community kitchen to pour myself some hot tea.

As I walked back, the steam was rising off of my tea cup on this particularly chilly fall mountain morning. I quickly snuggled back into bed, still in full view of the sunrise, to contemplate the day, our retreat schedule and our group intentions.

HONESTLY, I DIDN'T WANT THAT MOMENT TO END.

Last weekend, I took an incredibly beautiful journey through the Colorado mountains, to our Fall Full Moon women’s retreat.

The early morning mountain sunrises were amazing, not to mention the warm soothing hot springs, a brilliant harvest full moon, and delicious fall-inspired food. With a deep inquiry into our personal limiting beliefs and old outdated ways around health and happiness, it was magical.

I feel lucky to have been immersed in feeling the beauty of the seasonal shift. (see photos below)

With the changing golden leaves and the fall afternoon light that seems to hit the aspen trees just right, nature displayed quite a presentation – hello Autumn.

EACH SEASON IS STEEPED WITH ITS OWN ENERGETIC IMPRINT AND GUIDANCE FOR LIVING WISELY FROM THE INSIDE OUT.

As the leaves were falling to the ground in their bright orange and reds, there was an innate sense of letting go that I was able to acknowledge.  The gravity of Autumn is a metaphor for both our relationship to self and our relationship to nature.

Aligning ourselves inside and out with what is occurring around us in nature is a beautiful way to begin the radiant transition into a new season – Autumn.

Autumn is the time of transformation between the growth of summer and the dormancy of winter. Things are winding down, and once the harvest is complete, there is an opportunity to follow the inward flow into self-inquiry and inner listening – ground into the wisdom of the body and mind, compost and let go of what is now longer serving us.

Preparing for a strong and vital experience during the change of seasons can come with many inspirations inner and outer. Often, in the fall we talk of letting go, descending into the underworld, and a pulsation of contraction that guides us to listen deeper.

WHAT CAN YOU LET GO OF THIS FALL?

Letting go can be a little awkward and uncomfortable.  Whether it is letting go of an outdated habit, a tired old negative thought, a bunch of old clothes that are cluttering up your closet, or a limiting belief about yourself, prepare yourself for some feelings.

Nothing supports this better than slowing down and savoring some extra sweet self-care, and the space to be in the peace of nature.

"IF YOU LET GO A LITTLE, YOU WILL HAVE A LITTLE PEACE.  IF YOU LET GO A LOT, YOU WILL HAVE A LOT OF PEACE."

~AJAHN CHAH

Since it is the time of year that the season tells us to let go so I wrote you a few nuggets to help you along.

1. Align with your WHY

What are you up to these days?

What are your priorities in your life?

What are you seeking?

These, and many other questions like these, will help you to reveal the truth of your WHY.

When you are clear with your WHY and the big picture of what you are seeking, you are then able to shed all of those things that do not align with your life.

This could be a habit that doesn't support you, an old pair of jeans that remind you of your past, or even an old pattern you have with eating that feels obsolete.

This could also be something internal, like a thought or an internal dialogue pattern that does not evoke momentum towards your priorities and your WHY.

Once you align with your WHY, and your true vision of heart, it is a lot easier to let go of the things that do not serve you.

You still might notice that letting go conjures up some emotional response for you, a little pulling on your heartstrings, or feeling as though you're not sure who you would be without your old ways.

Most would agree, it is worth a bit of feeling uncomfortable, awkward, or even a little bit vulnerable, so that you can clear away those old templates that no longer serve you.

Recently, for me personally, it seems to be that I am working with my internal thoughts that are keeping me small, as well as the clearing out old belongings that no longer feel energetically aligned – mostly from my closet. Clearing out my old thoughts (at least working on it) and old clutter creates a nice lightness in my body and mind.

Old traits and old treasures carry energy. How we think, how we eat, how we practice our daily self-care, how we dress, how we create a sacred space in our homes and lives, and those with whom we surround ourselves are some good places to start.

2. Release your Resistance

Here’s what I also know about letting go: The most terrifying part is just before you loosen your grip. Once you let go, momentum will take over and you will feel lighter and more free than ever before.

When we hang on, it is our resistance.  Resistance is tricky, sneaky, and loves to keep us stuck.

What we need is to build momentum, and the ease will come.  In the meantime, notice where you are procrastinating, covering up feelings, or numbing yourself.

So often we hang on to something or some of our ways because of fear.  We don’t know what is coming, so our minds choose something with which we are already familiar.

Old, outdated inner and outer qualities can weigh us down. They can make us feel heavy and stuck, lethargic and hopeless, and simply block the full expression of our hearts and our WHY.

Acknowledging the fear of unfamiliar ways, new beginnings, and the releasing of the old is medicine during a letting go process.  If you feel it, you can heal it. When you loosen your grip on these old ways, a comforting sense of freedom and lightness emerges.

3. Transfigure, Transform and Thrive

Just like the leaves falling to the ground composting and fertilizing the earth for next year's bounty and bloom when we let go of things that do not serve us, they too compost into a bigger and brighter space for the new to come in and bloom.

This process of downward decomposition into the earth that we witness both inside and out is one that is familiar to the nature of our bodies since the beginning of time.

So often, we think of ourselves as observers or witnesses to nature's beauty and energetics, when really, we feel the same energetic pulls as all of nature because truthfully, we are nature.

The gravity of fall is a specific type of energy that calls us to let go, release the old and reveal the new bigger and better parts of ourselves.  It is exciting.  A journey into the depths of your soul's intentions and purposeful life.

We are always growing and changing.  Nothing in life stays the same.  Enjoy the process this fall as you synch up with the beauty and sweetness of the season.

Here are some photos from our magical retreat weekend:

You Will Leave Feeling Better Than When You Came

  She arrived about 20 minutes after our first yoga session started on Friday evening.

Surrounded with a sacred circle of women, a beautiful goddess yoga room, majestic Colorado mountains, and the hint of fall in the air, she tiptoed in quietly to join the circle, moved into child’s pose and began to settle in.

I slowly walked over amidst teaching my class, sat down beside her and started to slowly rub her back.  Tears began to stream.  Big full exhales followed.

“Thank you,” she whispered.  “This is exactly what I have been needing.”

I had personally reached out to her quite a few times to remind her of our upcoming women’s retreat weekend.  I was so glad I did.

Apparently she needed a little nudge.

Even though we know what is best for ourselves, know what we love, how to treat ourselves and what feels good, we so often succumb to our resistance.

Our minds love to point out the reasons why we can’t, why we shouldn’t or why our resistance is logical.

Repeatedly, our resistance takes the form of fears and doubts that prevent us from taking the steps towards what we really want.  They are complicated, sneaky and tenacious.

We have our go-to excuses, stories, limitations, fears, and self-doubts that know exactly how to do their jobs – keep us stuck. 

I want you to live a life you love.

I want that for you, for me, and for all of us.

I want lives where our desires, our intentions, our diligence and our self-care are greater than our resistance to them.

When this is occurring, we manifest our dreams.  When it is not, we most often stay stuck.

So let’s chat ...

What is holding you back?

In just one week from today I will be heading out of town to explore the wild feminine, enjoy the harvest full moon and eclipse, and to rest and restore on our fall women's full moon retreat weekend.

With the time and space to reconnect with ourselves, tap into the transition of the season and create an eagle-eye view on life and things – we can reset.

There are endless gifts of being on retreat...

• time and space to listen inward and feel. 

•  time to be outside and connect the energetics of nature and the season. 

• the ability to gain clear and concise perspective on our lives. 

• But most importantly, we have a chance to remember who we are, what we want, and what we need to thrive.

Maybe this little nudge will help you overcome your resistance << Test First Name >>.

Maybe this little reminder will create an opening for you to imagine yourself fully embodying your health and happiness.

Are you feeling the call?

If so, come share in the journey with us next weekend.

Reconnect and restore in the majesty of the Colorado Rocky Mountains with a retreat designed for your health, nourishment, and body-mind-spirit connection.

Soak in the sacred waters of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, enjoy the delicious organic home cooked meals, and share in the sisterhood of connection and ritual.

Come and watch the LIVE Q and A that I did earlier this week with my special guest, Helen Knight, and just hit reply if you have any questions.

We have just 3 spots left.  Is one of them for you?

There is still time to join us. 

Claim your seat HERE …

Please join me in this intimate and restoring upcoming women's circle that will support you in creating a happy and healthy life you love.

Lean In

"Lean In"

A close friend of mine once said this to me as we were sitting by the pool having a heart-to-heart.

As the warm sun shone down on my face, I cocked my head.  Hmm.  ‘Very uncomfortable.’ I thought.  It was uncomfortable, but also an opportunity for me to dig deeper.

Why did I resist leaning in so much?

  The answer was straight up.  Leaning in was just plain hard for me. I had a lot of stories wrapped up in doing things on my own - the hard way. I used to choose independence, hard work, doing things on my own – a more masculine approach to life and business.

I am not exactly sure where this came from, but my hunch is a combination of my competitive gymnastics background, my resistance to fully embracing my feminine nature, and the need to prove I was strong, bold, fearless and fine doing things all on my own.

It used to work.  I found some personal power and strength living life this way…until I got really tired, pretty overwhelmed, and a little lonely.

It expired.

This ‘solo’ way of living also started to feel exhausting and I noticed so many of my friends and family were creating a supportive and team oriented focus at home and in business.

How did I miss this?

Slowly but surely, I began to practice leaning in.

What I mean by this is I began creating various kinds of support systems in many areas of my life, or leaning in to the ones that were already there.

A supportive partner. 

A business coach. 

A mastermind group. 

A strong circle of women I call my sisters (my biological sister included). 

Two amazing young men (my sons) who always have my back.

Supportive parents.

A couple's group. 

A therapist. 

A psychic. 

An assistant. 

A couple of kick-ass interns. 

My team (personal and professional) is growing fast and it feels amazing.

Summer Solace Series #5: Lean In

In Today’s Summer Solace Series #5 Lean In:

• Learn the most important facts about support, accountability, and love.
• Deepen into why we make more progress towards health and happiness with a sacred circle holding the space for us.
• Read the myth buster about your so-called 'biggest obstacle'

I have learned that for me to become my best self, I need some support, some reflection and some accountability.

I lead circles of women all over the world.  These international retreats, women’s programs, and online courses support dynamic and empowering results for the participants, myself included. (read about some of them HERE)

Women (and men) thrive with support.  If there is one thing I have learned, it is that with the support of a sacred circle of women, the rate of acceleration towards our intentions is more than tenfold.

Transformations happen quicker.  Breakthroughs occur more often.  Follow through is fierce and fabulous... and our resistance recedes (phew).

What if you too, realized that your obstacles in reaching your highest potential or your greatest happiness and even your best self were not caused by your own shortcomings or lack of personal work or vision, but rather that you just need to lean in more.

What if your best self could emerge more gracefully with a sacred circle of women holding the space for you, believing in you, and keeping you accountable?

We know the strongest healing power on the planet is the healing power of sisterhood – women tending to each other with love and attention.   What if you knew you could:

• Improve your relationship to your life and your health through customized practices that nourish you from the inside out.
• Overcome personal obstacles by developing an intimate partnership with your mind and body.
• Live empowered in the way you create your vision and find your personal freedom.

Welcome to your Journey to FREEDOM You can create a life steeped with inner listening, intuition, and living for your highest good.

You can replace those old ways of being that are totally outdated in your life, and no longer serve you in who you want to be today.

You can sculpt your life, your schedule, your eating and your self-care practices to match exactly what you are intending for yourself.

You can put yourself first in your life, restore your life force and have more to give back.

Come join our intimate sacred circles of women who are consciously supporting each other in crafting a life that is about coming back home to your best self.

Here are 2 opportunities for you.

• The Fall Full Moon Women’s retreat is September 16^th-18^th.  This live circle of women is set in a beautiful and restorative setting complete with a harvest moon, hot springs, delicious organic food, and a circle of women up to a similar mission.

• The Sisterhood Circles year long Health and Happiness (virtual) Focus group begins September 27^th + 4 great bonuses if you join us before September 18th, 2016

What is YOUR story about support, receiving and leaning in?

There is still time to join us. 

Claim your seat HERE …

The Summer Solace Series is my late summer offering for you to explore your own true nature with respect to health, happiness and inner peace.   My intention with the Summer Solace Series is to make our journey of the feminine feel a little smoother, a lot more whole, while staying deeply connected to ourselves, as women.

During the late summer weeks, I will be sharing some of the gems from my work with women in the groups I lead all over the world.  I will share with you some ways where we can begin to create a loving and female approach to our eating, and our bodies with tastes of some of the myths and archytypes I work with that provide a little extra support.

As we transition into the last part of summer, we energetically prepare for a transition into a new school year, another autumn season, and a time to begin a new pulse that works well for what we are intending for ourselves.

I have also created the Summer Solace Series to share with you some samples and nuggets from my upcoming women’s circles that are beginning in September (one live full moon weekend retreat, and one virtual women’s focus group) with tastes of some of the most potent themes and practices.

Just like the sweetness of a ripe August peach, The Summer Solace Series is my late summer treat for you.  A harvest filled path into the last weeks of summer, a taste of the Sisterhood Circles Focus Group and Full Moon Women’s Retreat weekend that begin this September as well as some summer savoring secrets that will keep you satiated.

Please join me in these intimate restoring and practical upcoming women's circles that will support you in creating a happy and healthy life you love.

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The Yoga of Eating ~ Full Moon Weekend Retreat Joyful Journey Hotsprings September 16th-18th Just A Few Spots Left

Explore the female relationship to food, body and soul through daily practice, ritual and a sacred circle of women.  Reconnect and restore your mind and heart in the majesty of the Colorado Rocky Mountains with a retreat designed for your health, nourishment, and body-mind-spirit connection.

Soak in the sacred waters of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, enjoy the delicious organic home cooked meals, and share in the sisterhood of connection and ritual.

(Yurts and Mountain Lodge Accommodations ) 

Your restoration and revelations await you.

Reserve Your Queendom 

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The Health Wise Sisterhood Circle ~ 2016

The Health Wise SISTERHOOD CIRCLE is an intimate sacred circle of women who are consciously supporting each other in crafting a life to love.

4 great bonuses if you register by September 18th:

Claim you seat sister...your freedom awaits you.

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About Sue Van Raes...

I'm a Nutritional therapist, food psychology expert and Lifestyle Coach.

My mission is to help heal the feminine through food, mind-body connection and pleasure. Learn more here.

In our work together we will dive into deep healing for the body and soul while I offer you practical, potent teachings that will open your heart to trust, your mind to possibility and your body to its organic wisdom.

I am chock full of resources for you including INSPIRING content and a wide range of support to help you find your way in all things food and body.

Feel free to read more about me and how I can help you HERE

We Don't Know What's Coming

  Early one morning, just a few years ago, I was busily getting my boys out the door to summer camp – cleaning up after breakfast and coercing them into the car (not an easy feat). 

Most mornings I would keep my phone turned off while trying to get out the door – less distraction = more harmony.

At the final drop off moment, I had a new voicemail pop up on my phone.  If it was any other day, I may not have made time to listen to this new message until much later, but this particular day was different.

As I swiped open my phone, typed in my password, and headed over to the voicemail icon where I heard something I was surely not expecting.

“Hello Sue, this is People Magazine calling.  We would like to set up a time to talk with you.  We are interested in featuring Boulder Nutrition in our next issue.” 

Pause.  Replay. Pause.  Replay.  Pause.  Replay.

Now, I will admit, People magazine had never been one of my personal picks as far as magazines go.  I was more of a Yoga Journal, Oprah Magazine or Natural Health kind of gal.

All of those thoughts swooshed away pretty quickly and I kept hitting replay over and over.

This particular opportunity came to me literally out of left field. 

It turns out, they featured my business and one of my client’s stories in an article about Boulder, Colorado.  It was so amazing to have the experience, the credibility and the opportunity.  Boulder Nutrition got a ton of exposure and Sandra Bullock was on the cover – for real.   I see how many of you are each day and I see my own habits and patterns as well. I see us all trying to live our dreams, craft our best health, change our tired old habits and live into our inherent happiness with a love, passion, and courage.

But something is often missing.

So often, I see us placing personal limits on what we think we are capable of doing.  We repeatedly create restrictions on our success.  We tell ourselves we are not good enough, smart enough, strong enough, determined enough, creative enough, pretty enough or skinny enough.

And most of all, we believe the stories we tell ourselves.

These stories, beliefs, and personal limitations are often very intertwined with our health, happiness and inner harmony.  

We see them reveal themselves in our eating, in how we think of and care for our bodies, and in the way we show up in our life each day.

Last year, when I was on my annual retreat, it was early one morning with my pen in one hand and my journal in the other that this came through:

We don’t know what’s coming.

It may seem obvious but our minds most often disagree.  We make a plan, a to-do list and have clear intentions.  We do manifestation rituals, pray, meditate, chant, mastermind, too and work harder and harder.

But we often forget the most important step of all…

Summer Solace Series #4:  We Don’t Know What’s Coming ~ Change Thoughts, Change Your Life

In Today’s Summer Solace Series #4:

• Learn the most important part of creating our success and happiness that we so often overlook.
• Master how to use this new approach as a way to live from the empowered feminine + design a life steeped in health and happiness.
• Illuminate how to open to possibility without living in a fantasy.

The lesson I learned the day People Magazine called me was impactful in many ways. I was happily reminded that opportunities and breakthoughs can show up anywhere and any time.

What I see myself doing in practice day-to-day is reminding myself that this, and many other things like this, is actually possible.

We All Do It

Change happens from the inside out. Our health is complex. We often think health is about what we eat, or how much we weigh, or what our exercise regiment is at the time.

In truth, our health also includes our beliefs about ourselves, our personal limitations and our internal dialogue – and which parts of each of these we decide to listen to and believe.

Our blood work, our daily eating habits and our supplement programs, are all very important. Don’t get me wrong, but what can really create the breakthrough we are seeking, is getting out of our own inner resistance, and rewiring the thoughts that we can’t do something different. Only then can we start re-writing our stories and seeing the possibility for change and transformation.

What Should We Do?

I am not going to tell you that changing our thoughts and our limiting beliefs is easy. In fact, it may be a complicated process for many of you. It has been for me.

Working with our internal dialogue, stories and personal limitations is a journey, not a finite process with a clear end point. We need to be patient, loving, and kind with ourselves as we practice this process.

Here are a few ways to get started:

Who wrote the script?

Name and identify both the recurring thought/story/belief in its true nature, along with where it originated. Family lineage, teachers, religion, or an old message that you picked up on. Each one has it’s own history. This practice increases our personal awareness and provides a deeper understanding of what is, with more opportunity for making a change.

When you hear your negative inner dialogue, do something to change it.

There are many well-known ways to do this. Recently a client told me she  would shout “STOP” when these old stories popped up.  Here are some recommendations that have worked for me, and many of my clients:

•  Create a positive affirmation to replace the thought. Keep in it simple and in the positive.

•  Get up and do something different – get a glass of water, put on some good music, take a break, take a walk.

•  Create a gratitude or appreciation practice. The energy of gratitude works very quickly. Gratitude is strong and powerful moving us in a positive direction.

• Make time for quiet, downtime, and inner listening. Sometimes we do not even realize that there is an internal dialogue happening, we just feel the effects of it in our physical and emotional body. We have listened for so long to this repetitive tape in our minds, that we hardly notice it repeating over and over. When we slow down, we have the chance to hear it for what it is.

• Practice Right Speech: The way we talk can either strengthen or weaken our limiting thoughts and beliefs. Carefully choose your words to amplify the direction you wish to go. Example: If the thought is “I hate my body.” Saying things such as “I am working on a positive relationship to my body” can help steer you in a positive direction.

DOn't Forget To Celebrate Your Successes (big or small).

Making progress in a positive direction with our inner world is important to acknowledge, even if you are still not all the way to where you want to be. We are often so hard on ourselves.  Be careful, kind, and celebrate the successes big and small along the way.

Acknowledge yourself for spending time and energy on YOU.

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The Yoga of Eating ~ Full Moon Weekend Retreat Joyful Journey Hotsprings September 16th-18th

Explore the female relationship to food, body and soul through daily practice, ritual and a sacred circle of women.  Reconnect and restore your mind and heart in the majesty of the Colorado Rocky Mountains with a retreat designed for your health, nourishment, and body-mind-spirit connection.  

Soak in the sacred waters of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, enjoy the delicious organic home cooked meals, and share in the sisterhood of connection and ritual.

(Yurts and Mountain Lodge Accommodations ) 

Your restoration and revelations await you.

Reserve Your Queendom 

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The Health Wise Sisterhood Circle ~ 2016

The Health Wise SISTERHOOD CIRCLE is an intimate sacred circle of women who are consciously supporting each other in crafting a life to love.

You can explore your YES to a commitment that will transform your life in extraordinary ways.

You can live your most empowered life around health and happiness through these POTENT strategies, living rituals and daily practices revealed in the intimacy of this circle of sisters.

You can create a life steeped with inner listening, intuition, and living for your highest good.

You can sculpt your life, your schedule, your eating and your self care practices to match exactly what you are intending for yourself.

You can put yourself first in your life, restore your life force and have more to give back.

Claim you seat sister...your freedom awaits you.

---

About Sue Van Raes...

I'm a Nutritional therapist, food psychology expert and Lifestyle Coach.

My mission is to help heal the feminine through food, mind-body connection and pleasure. Learn more here.

In our work together we will dive into deep healing for the body and soul while I offer you practical, potent teachings that will open your heart to trust, your mind to possibility and your body to its organic wisdom.

I am chock full of resources for you including INSPIRING content and a wide range of support to help you find your way in all things food and body.

Feel free to read more about me and how I can help you HERE

Fiercely Feminine

It happens,

It was a late summer evening just a couple of weeks ago when I was reflecting on my particularly emotional day.

It was one of those days when I had to take a good look at myself.  One of those days where I didn’t like what I was seeing.  I felt icky and emotionally exhausted by the residue of feelings left over as the day grew close to an end.

In an attempt to explain my inner strife to Jason, I found myself apologizing for my tears, for my pain and the instability that I had been feeling all day long.

He said something to me that no one has ever said to me before:

“You know Sue, you could allow yourself to get messier and I would still love you.”

It may sound simple to you, but I had lived most of my early life keeping my feminine messiness at bay.  The emotions, the inner angst, the feelings that would sometimes well up inside – I was good at attempting to pull it together to keep going.

While that has turned out to be virtually impossible and unsuccessful, I used to live by my own belief that there was very little room in my life for anything messy.  I raised two boys as a single parent, and I often felt that if I let myself get messy, things would fall apart for me and for them.

Now, in more recent years I have lifted this restrictive belief in my life somewhat, but not without a tentative, shy and unsure approach – especially in my relationship.

One of the obstacles I see in women all the time when we are struggling with food, body, self-love, and overall health are these very elaborate coping skills to keep the messiness and emotional chaos of the feminine at bay.

Most of us have received the message that these messy feminine aspects of ourselves are not welcome.

We stuff the unwelcome feelings with anything we can find that works.  These coping skills can often create their own cascade of health issues, imbalances, and challenges, including the relationship we have to food and our bodies.

The next day I shared this significant conversation with a close friend, someone who also is known to ‘keep it all together’ and she also sighed in relief.  “Wow Sue, that even makes me feel more at peace.”

I am now sharing this with you because your relationship to your feminine may be one of the reasons you get out of balance, self-medicate, overeat, under eat, deprive yourself of self-love and self-respect.

This may be the very root of some of the behaviors you have been trying to change for years.

Because this wild and fierce part of ourselves is also our greatest power.

This may be an opportunity for you to change your relationship to your authentic self with a more loving approach to who you truly are in each moment.

There may be a lot of questions about exactly what I mean and how this has shown up in your life.  To begin, let’s peal back the layers one little bit at a time.

Summer Solace Series #3:  Fiercely Feminine

In today’s Summer Solace Series #3:

• Explore the nature of the feminine in relationship to food and body including some insights on what is often called ‘our shadow side’.
• Learn the first steps to take to unleash your wild feminine in all her forms  – including the messiness (without a big mess to clean up later)
• Listen to an ancient myth that speaks directly to your feminine power, shadow, messiness, and unhinged wild wisdom so that you can live authentically and fearlessly from your female power – recorded live from my spring retreat in Bali.

Just to clarify, when I speak of the feminine, I am speaking of our feminine nature. We all have a balance of the feminine and masculine within ourselves. (men included) Our feminine sides are gentle, fluid, receptive, emotional, intuitive, and mysterious, where as our masculine sides are direct, focused, practical, diligent and protective.

We need both the feminine and masculine to survive. Unfortunately, our current cultural paradigms are steeped pretty heavily in the masculine giving us the messages that we should stuff our feminine side more and live predominantly from our masculine sides

This presents a big challenge for many of us, as we have had to develop elaborate coping skills to live in a masculine dominant world.

Food and the Feminine

As you can imagine, this inner conflict can present a difficult understanding of our relationship to eating and our bodies. As women, our cravings change with the moon cycle, our emotions dictate our appetites, and our inner rhythms are not static when it comes to nourishing our bodies with both food and self-care.

There are distinct times when we need more rest and introspection and other times when we feel social and active.

What are we to do?

Developing a deeper sense of our selves with our intuition and body’s wisdom is a good place to start. (Read last week’s Summer Solace Series #2 about Honing your Intuition HERE)

When we are wrought with beliefs that make our feminine rhythm ‘wrong’, it is hard to flow with our feminine. Many of the ways we have been taught may start to feel outdated and ineffective in this exploration. We may need to question our belief systems and expectations in ourselves carefully, so that first and foremost, we can give ourselves permission to flow with our feminine.

Our relationship to our feminine nature is directly reflected in our relationship to food and our bodies. If we tend to ignore our feminine rhythm in our lives, we are likely to avoid our feminine rhythm in our eating. If we have made a lot of static rules and restrictions for ourselves in our way of life, we likely will have made similar static rules and restrictions in our eating.

What I have learned is that I have to listen to my body, and drop the stories that say she is wrong. I have to drop my restrictions, my tight reigns, and begin to soften into acceptance and love for what is, and what is occurring in the moment. I have to honor the rhythms of my monthly cycle, the seasons, and my emotional experiences – eating with more love and acceptance of the fluid, always changing the nature of the feminine.

Unleash Your Wild-ish Side

When I was 25 years old, I was part of a personal transformation group in Prescott Arizona. Each week, as I was witnessed by my group, I would dig into my personal truths.

The very first group I ever attended was themed “Feel your Feelings”.

Don’t we all feel our feelings?

As it turns out, most of us mask our feelings. We stuff, repress, override, and doubt our feelings. We numb, we make ourselves busy, and we neglect creating the space we need to feel.

Hence, the wild feminine is endangered.

Unleashing the wild feminine comes when we give ourselves permission to feel, such as feeling the pain of life, the ecstasy of love, the anticipation of a new experience, and the fear of failing.

~ Rather than the shadow side of the feminine, let’s call her the underworld of the feminine.

~ Rather than imagining wild as an out of control and crazy woman, let’s imagine wild as living in tune with nature, a natural life, freedom, with healthy and integrous boundaries.

As Clarissa Pinkola Estes says: “A woman’s issues of the soul cannot be treated by carving her into a more acceptable form but instead the goal must be the retrieval of the woman’s beauteous and natural psychic form.”

When we gift ourselves with the permission to be living from our wildish nature, we are able to step into the intuitive, wise, expressive, clear, glowing, instinctive truth that each of us are.

Here are some great ways to start:

• Look at your beliefs about what it means to live in your wild feminine?
• Give yourself permission to feel your feelings as they arise, free from judgment.
• Examine where you are in resistance to your true feminine underworld. (aka those so called negative emotions)
• Take baby steps with a lot of appreciation, acknowledgement and gratitude for how far you have come and each successful moment.
• Celebrate all parts of yourself (even the perceived messy, chaotic, unpredictable nature of the feminine)
• Own it sister

Listen HERE to today's story time sit down and enjoy the LIVE recording all the way from this years Bali women's Health + Yoga Retreat.

All we have to work with here sisters is our own attitude towards ourselves, towards our bodies, our health and our happiness.

We do not achieve this by giving up our authentic expression, or by forsaking the joy of our beauteous bodies and minds.

We do this through a deep honoring of our own true nature, self-acceptance, self-love and inner wisdom.

We do this through living life with fervor, creativity and freedom.

---

The Health Wise Sisterhood Circles  ~ Small Focus groups

Create a powerful vision, commit to your intentions, happiness, and freedom,  while surrounding yourself extraordinary women.

The Health Wise Sisterhood Circles are for women seeking vibrant and inspired living. Find your personal recipe for health and vitality.

Our next group is coming up this September, 2016.

---

A Women’s Full Moon Weekend Retreat

With Sue Van Raes and Special Guests

September 16-18th

Reconnect and restore in the majesty of the Colorado Rocky Mountains with a retreat designed for your health, nourishment, and body-mind-spirit connection.  Soak in the sacred waters of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, enjoy the delicious organic home cooked meals, and share in the sisterhood of connection and ritual.

Your Body Never Lies

I would sit in her office week after week. We would talk about my current situation ­– AKA my divorce, my challenges with single parenting, and the habits and patterns that brought me to this point.

Some days it wasn’t much fun to see this reflection, but I kept going back. I knew I had to go through the fire (so to speak) so I could see how I could begin to do things differently moving forward.

My therapist was a wise and nurturing woman. She would speak many truths and point out many observations during our sessions. Some were harder to hear than others. Taking ownership and seeing my habits and patterns came with many daunting moments, feelings of wanting to crawl out of my skin, and big openings for which I am eternally grateful.

One thing I always appreciated was her ability to turn me back towards myself.

“Your body never lies Sue, your body never lies.” she would say.

This particular piece of wisdom stuck with me. I had become pretty good at overriding the wisdom of my body and intuition. I did it to cope, I did it to get through the day, and I did it as a personal survival skill.

Most of us have ignored, numbed, or turned away from our own wisdom at certain points in our lives. Our cultural paradigms are not structured in a way to promote the strengthening and listening to our female intuition. Sometimes, avoiding this part of our feminine can feel like our only choice. Feeling into our sensitivity is one of our greatest gifts and yet can feel like a big heavy cloak of burden.

Living from this wildish part of the feminine allows us to live in our body’s adjoining instinct, integrity, sensation, love and certainty of self.

Summer Solace Series: #2 
Your Body Never Lies + A Story Time Sit Down Audio Session

In today’s Summer Solace Series#2:

• Learn to recognize what you do or have done to numb your body’s wisdom (intuition)
• How to take the first steps in fine-tuning and honing your intuition as a positive tool in your life.
• Listen to this week’s story time sit down in a archytypical myth that addresses the feminine power of intuition and its lineage though time and feminine history.

Our intuition, our bodies, our inner voice is something all of us have. For many of us, we have tuned it out over time, because what it was saying was too much, or it would create too many ripples, or lead us to big life changes that we were scared of facing. It may have even been the wildness in us that was not welcome.

Although, female intuition is a gift, many of us have been encouraged to disregard her.

We are taught to think rather than feel.

Our intuition goes beyond our thinking and includes our body's, our heart's, and our soul's deep knowing.

We all have intuition but I refer to this as the female intuition because it is more heightened from the aspect of our feminine receptive nature (man or woman).

Where Do You Numb?

We tend to pile on the layers of numbing so we can simply keep going in our daily life. We numb with all the usual things – food, alcohol, TV, business, sex, drugs – you know the story.

If we did not numb ourselves, we would have to FEEL more. Feeling more can be uncomfortable.

When we don’t like our gut feelings, when they are not welcome, discouraged or shunned, we develop a multitude of patterns and habits to drive them underground. We keep them at bay, and our wild, true nature becomes meager, ghostly and desolate.

As Clarissa Pinkola Estes says: “When we engage and live from our true, wild and intuitive nature, we are like a starry night, gazing at the world through a thousand eyes. We carry stories, dreams, words, songs and symbols for both a vehicle and a destination.”

Where can you find her? Where can you feel her? Where does she live?

Seeing where and how we numb is a bit of an awakening that comes with the willingness to be a little uncomfortable, a bit messy, an opportunity and the courage to acknowledge a habit or a pattern that is outdated (read last weeks summer solace #1 series here about breaking old habits), and to find the power and grace in our body’s inherent knowing.

How Do You HONE Your Intuition?

Your intuition is like a muscle that gets a bit weaker without practice. Intuition and body wisdom are never gone. In fact, they are always there, even when we ignore them. When we acknowledge how and where we are numbing, we can begin to listen again.

Intuition becomes available to us when we listen to our hearts, when we pay attention to our body’s somatic expressions, and when we follow the prompts of our wisdom. We must first become receptive to our intuition to begin to strengthen her.

We must learn to respect our hunches, notions and impulses. With this practice, we witness our emotions and feelings flowing through us free from judgment and guilt.

The way our bodies (all in our own unique way) speak to us is a tool that we can use to navigate our lives, our decisions, our eating, and our happiness.

All to often, we look outward to the world around us for our cues and guidelines when the answers lie within.

When we stop questioning and trust, when we stop overriding and check in, and when we practice cultivating this inner gift, we can notice the grace of moving in life with an intuitive body knowing that it can become our biggest strength.

Here are some of my favorite ways to practice honing our intuition:

• Clear your mind – create some space each day to slow down and listen.
• Do a body check in – scan your body for information through your senses. Pay attention to tightness, nausea, shortness of breath, headaches and other recurring sensations.
• Pay attention to your dreams – they are the window into your subconscious mind and intuitive wisdom.
• Spend time in nature – it is rich with intuition and grounding for the heart and mind.
• Ask questions – Get specifics, be proactive, and simply ask your intuition (aka higher self) for information.
• Drop the judgment – Instead of criticizing or repressing, get curious.
• Take small steps and practice often.

Always remember that in the heart of the feminine nature lies a strong wise and powerful intuitive nature. If you listen she won’t steer you wrong.

Get comfy, settle in, be gentle with yourself, and listen to today’s story time sit down session below.

Listen to today's Story Time Sit Down HERE

The Summer Solace Series is here for you to lean into.

This is my late summer offering for you to explore your own true nature with respect to health, happiness and inner peace.   My intention with the Summer Solace Series is to make our journey of the feminine feel a little smoother, a lot more whole, while staying deeply connected to ourselves, as women.

During the late summer weeks, I will be sharing some of the gems from my work with women in the groups I lead all over the world.  I will share with you some ways where we can begin to create a loving and female approach to our eating, and our bodies, with tastes of some of the myths and archetypes I work with that provide a little extra support.

As we transition into the last part of summer, we energetically prepare for a transition into a new school year, another autumn season, and a time to begin a new pulse that works well for what we are intending for ourselves.

I have also created the Summer Solace Series to share with you some samples and nuggets from my upcoming women’s circles that are beginning in September (one live full moon weekend retreat, and one virtual women’s focus group) with tastes of some of the most potent themes and practices.

Just like the sweetness of a ripe August peach, The Summer Solace Series is my late summer treat for you.  A harvest filled path into the last weeks of summer, a taste of the Sisterhood Circles Focus Group and Full Moon Women’s Retreat weekend that begin this September as well as some summer savoring secrets that will keep you satiated.

Healthy Happy Habits

  I roll over a few times beneath my cotton sheets.  The morning sun is warming my bedroom through the airy bamboo shades.  I slumber downstairs, make my morning brew and saunter outside to wake up slowly under the willow tree with the sweet morning hummingbirds.

On warm summer mornings, I am savor my time to wake up slowly.  Each morning a little creatively different, but most ending with more clarity and peace in how I want to sculpt my day.

In one hand some warm bulletproof coffee or tea, in the other a pen and journal.  The waft of my Balinese insense drifting through the backyard air, and the sweet feeling of having the time to just BE.

I love to move my morning practice outside in the summer.  To sit in meditation with just peaks of sun shining on my shoulders, and the beauty of life all around me.

My summer mornings are savored.

Living from a place of intention is a habit I have been cultivating in myself for many years.  While it is surely not fool proof, as life has its way of sweeping though the day with its own set of agendas, these morning rituals help to set me up for success – whatever the day may bring.

Recently, when I was asked what I thought women (and men) struggle with the most when it comes to health, well-being, food and body – I had to sit and think for a while.

Hmmm...

Sometimes it is overwhelm and confusion, sometimes self-sabotage or negative beliefs about ourselves, sometimes a lack of understanding around how to feed our bodies or and souls, but I would have to say the number one challenge we all share is all wrapped up in changing old habits.

In fact, changing habits can be the very obstacle for many women that seem impossible to overcome. 

For the next 6 weeks, I will be sharing some of the gems from my work with women in the groups I lead all over the world.  I will share with you some ways we can begin to create a loving and female approach to our eating, and our bodies with tastes of some of the myths and archytypes I work with that provide a little extra support.

The Summer Solace Series is here for you to lean into.

This is my late summer offering for you to explore your own true nature with respect to health, happiness and inner peace.   My intention with the Summer Solace Series is to make our journey of the feminine feel a little smoother, a lot more whole, while staying deeply connected to ourselves as women.

As we transition into the last part of summer, we energetically prepare for a transition into a new school year, another autumn season, and a time to begin a new pulse that works well for what we are intending for ourselves.

I have also created the Summer Solace Series to share with you some samples and nuggets from my upcoming women’s circles that are beginning in September (one live full moon weekend retreat, and one virtual women’s focus group) with tastes of some of the most potent themes and practices.  

So, without further ado, welcome to the Summer Solace Series... Today, we are taking the first step in changing tired old habits.  These are the habits that keep you stuck.  These are the habits that you don’t like to talk about. These are the habits that move you in the opposite direction from where you want to be. These are the habits that often feel almost impossible to break.  We all have them, so get comfy.

Summer Solace Series: #1

Healthy Happy Habits + A Storytime Sit Down Audio Session with Me

Today we are exploring the first step to changing old habits, so that the new habits of the heart can become part of a supportive and conscious path to living.

Today you will learn:

• The first step to releasing your tired old habits
• The most common mistakes we make when trying to make a change.
• How to use myth and ritual to support you in honing your habits. (including an audio storytelling sit down that I crafted for you)

The first step to releasing your tired old habits + a Storytime Sit Down with Me:

Habits are hard to break. I have some I am diligently working on myself. From my eating, my sleeping and my stress management, to how I monitor my finances, my negative thoughts and my self-care. We create them by patterning ourselves in such a way that they become automatic.

In the beginning, all of our habits served a purpose. Often born from an early age, a challenging time, or a learned automatic behavior that we developed to cope or deal with a certain situation.

From the moment you get out of bed each day – your daily breakfast, morning rituals, workplace interactions, the texts you send to your loved ones, to the way you drive home – you are engaging in multitudes of habits and patterns.

Most of these habits are serving you well, allowing you to handle the challenging co-worker, the multitudes of stress before an exam, or the baby up crying all night – you are on automatic more than you realize.

Our minds don’t often discern between the good and the bad habits when operating on automatic. We just keep doing, keep going, and keep trying to manage our lives.

The thing is, a tired old habit is one that did its job back when it was first being created. It may have helped you cope with a broken family, a stressful childhood, or a bully at school. A tired old habit may also have saved you from feeling out of control, feeling unloved or feeling stressed out.

Tired old habits once served an important purpose. Now, can you discern when they have become outdated?

We spend a lot of time looking at where we went wrong, how we got stuck, why we can’t do something different. Self criticism, shame and fear are often the co-pilots of wanting to make a change

What if we looked that tired old habit right in the eyes and said “Thank You”?

“Thank you for serving me well dear friend. Thanks for protecting me, helping me cope, and giving me options for getting though the tough times. I appreciate you. I honor you. And now… I am completely done with you.   You serve me no longer and I send you on your way.”

When we can see these old habits in their true form, full history, and even a little bubble of appreciation for how they have sustained us, we can release them more gracefully.

• Mindless eating can be a way to comfort yourself when you’re feeling down.
• Retail shopping online for hours might be a way you avoid interacting with your expired relationship.
• Drinking too much may be the only way you know how to be social with a certain group of friends.

If you want to break the habit, you have to come to grips with whatever function the bad habit was serving.

What are your tired old habits?

Identifying the habit, and the history of the habit is the first step to making a change.

Try this:

1. Name the tired old habit you are looking to transform.
2. Unravel the history behind the habit, when it started, why it served you, and when it expired.
3. Be gentle with yourself as you appreciate the value the habit served and the acknowledgement of its time to be released.
4. Drop the guilt, shed the shame.

Join me and listen to today’s feature Summer Solace storytime sit down.   Explore the profound metaphors found in myths, storytelling and archetypes that gently guide us home to our strength and embodied feminine grace.

Listen to our first Storytime Sit Down HERE 

Just like the sweetness of ripe August peach, The Summer Solace Series is my late summer treat for you.  A harvest filled path into the last weeks of summer, a taste of the Sisterhood Circles Focus Group and Full Moon Women's Retreat weekend that begins this September and some summer savoring secrets that will keep you satiated.

Stay tuned...

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The Health Wise Sisterhood Circles  ~ Small Focus groups

Create a powerful vision, commit to your intentions, happiness, and freedom,  while surrounding yourself extraordinary women.

The Health Wise Sisterhood Circles are for women seeking vibrant and inspired living. Find your personal recipe for health and vitality.

Our next group is coming up this September, 2016.

---

A Women's Full Moon Weekend Retreat

With Sue Van Raes and Special Guests

September 16-18th

Reconnect and restore in the majesty of the Colorado Rocky Mountains with a retreat designed for your health, nourishment, and body-mind-spirit connection.  Soak in the sacred waters of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, enjoy the delicious organic home cooked meals, and share in the sisterhood of connection and ritual.

Meet your SABOTEUR...

You made your summertime plans – more exercise, more fun, and LESS junk food.

You started strong.  

The block parties kicked off, the travel plans kicked in and before you knew it, you were eating what felt like a lot of 7-layer dip.

Starting to feel the fatigue of staying up past your bed time too many nights in a row, guilt from what has now felt like an overindulgent vacation, and at a loss for the last time you made it to your women's hiking group - you wake up one morning wondering what happened.

Most of us can remember sabotaging our success, our health goals or our self-care plans.

It's a common problem.  

We ask ourselves why we are stuck, why we can't seem to follow through, and why we continue to live as a person we don't want to be.

Breaking old patterns, releasing our self-saboteur, and beginning anew is key in creating a life we love.

If you are struggling with consistency, follow through; much less a rocking summer plan then today’s 'skinny' is for you...

3 reasons why your Self Saboteur has all the power and how to make a change

(+ A guided meditation to boot)

We often find ourselves loosing sight of being the person we want to be, feeling stuck, and not sure what to do about it.

Our obstacles seem to grow into our demons, and our true potential succumbs to taking a back seat.

Old, ineffective thought patterns and beliefs – the very things that have blocked you up to this point – will stand out loud and clear as you start to befriend your inner success queen, and finally give her back the drivers seat.

Here are the 3 most common self-sabotaging patterns I see around food, body, and health and what to DO about it.

1. Are you afraid of Failure?

A fear of failure or inadequacy can often turn us away from moving forward. The challenge is too much. It’s as if, once we reveal what we really want for ourselves, we have a sacred contract with ourselves to fulfill it.

Wow, that’s a big commitment.

Maybe it is safer to stay stuck.

Naming our goals/intentions/personal commitments, but then not feeling able to follow through is hard to swallow. All of these fears are totally real.

Try this: Ask yourself who has the power – you or your fears? Try naming your fears. Once they are named, recognized and befriended, they become more powerless.  

2. Are YOU addicted to your suffering?

One common way we sabotage our own success is related to the addictions most of us have to our negative thoughts and beliefs, and to our own suffering.

For many of us, sitting in our own suffering is a pattern that has formed and become a habitual way we move through life. We are more comfortable with our suffering because it is all we know.

Where do you embellish your own suffering?

What do you get out of it?

In some twisted way, we all get something out of complaining, being depressed, or playing the victim.

Maybe we get more attention, maybe we get to be lazy, or maybe we are simply used to feeling this way, so this state has become the place we feel most comfortable.

Try this: Inquire into your own patterns with suffering, and take a closer look.  Answer the question honestly – what do you get from your suffering? These old patterns may have started in your childhood, in a relationship, or even in a hard phase of your life. There are many opportunities for these patterns to have become habits, but just as many opportunities to change them with love and awareness.

3. Do you CHECK OUT?

Self-soothing is a high priority in our self-care, but checking OUT is a different thing – it means shutting down, turning a blind eye, or avoiding feeling or experiencing the strong emotions that we may be afraid of (including happiness).

If the pattern of checking OUT is a big one for you, taking gradual steps to checking IN is important.

We need reflection, accountability, structure, and support to create a new pattern.

We need to practice.

We need an intuitive relationship with ourselves first.

Try this: Sit with the uncomfortable. Feel. Listen inward. Crack yourself open. Love ALL of you. The way OUT is always IN.

What this means for our relationship with food, health and body is that if we begin to see the discomfort as merely our brain breaking down old neural pathways and creating new ones and then we can welcome this uncomfortable new way as a sign of progress. We can release the inner voice of the self-saboteur if we know what we are listening for, and learning to recognize when SHE is running the show.

To practice, today’s guided meditation will take you deeper inward towards reclaiming your power and releasing your saboteur once and for all.

LISTEN TO THE MEDITATION HERE

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The Yoga of Eating ~ Full Moon Weekend Retreat Joyful Journey Hotsprings September 16th-18th

Reconnect and restore in the majesty of the Colorado Rocky Mountains with a retreat designed for your health, nourishment, and body-mind-spirit connection.

Soak in the sacred waters of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, enjoy the delicious organic home cooked meals, and share in the sisterhood of connection and ritual.

Reserve Your Queendom