IKIGAI “Our Purpose”

The Japanese people are one of the healthiest and longest living communities in the world. Why is this? Besides their walking lifestyle, and traditional diet consisting of rice, seaweed, meat and fish, the Japanese believe in something called IKIGAI.

What is Ikigai you ask? It means “a reason for being”. It is one’s soul’s purpose in life. The Indians call this Dharma. An individual is always searching for their life’s purpose, without this, one feels unfulfilled. We may have jobs that we are not passionate about yet provide us with so much money, while others may have found their passion yet it makes them no money at all. Every human has a unique gift to share with this world, that is why we are all here! It’s our journey in life that allows us to become in tune with our reason for being.

Have a wonderful week filled with purpose, peace, and love!

Emotions Store In Your Organs!

Last week I wrote about how chronic pain in your body may be linked to your emotional state of mind. This week I take it further and dive into Traditional Chinese Medicine and the science that says different emotions store in different organs within your body. So think twice when you want to dwell in sadness or rage out in anger because your organs are keeping count and eventually chronic inflammation within those organs will manifest into chronic illness.

• stress and frustration will affect your brain health
• tension is stored in your neck and spine
• lack of trust will affect your thyroid health
• fear and worry affects the heart & kidneys
• sadness is stored in the lungs
• anxiety manifests into digestive issues
• anger is stored in the liver & gallbladder
• the sympathetic nervous system of “fight or flight” will affect the adrenal glands
• feelings of guilt affect the spleen

A major life lesson that has stuck with me is “stress isn’t the problem, it’s how we react to it”. Stress is inevitable, life is stressful but we can alleviate any bodily harm our emotions can cause by noticing them at its source. When we feel the start of an emotional reaction, we can observe how it makes our body’s feel in that very moment. This is triggering the awareness within ourselves, we are becoming mindful of our bodily sensations.

To release inner anger that is stored in the liver, eat leafy greens like spinach and kale, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. These foods will detoxify the liver from heavy metals, pesticides, and any toxic chemicals. Eating apples and beets will provide the liver with nutrients while also detoxifying the blood. Eating whole foods allow the liver to self-repair.

Have a wonderful week! Remember to keep tabs on those emotional ups and downs and instead of identifying with it, just simply observe it and allow it to pass. Don’t allow it to store in your organs!

My Podcast Recommendations!

Podcasts are a great way to learn about any subject from other people for FREE!! It’s like joining a conversation between 2 or 3 people without actually being there! Everyone now has their own podcast because it’s uncensored so the host’s can say whatever comes to mind, they can be themselves and usually it’s very intelligent information with equal parts of comedy. Here is a list of my favorite podcasts that I listen to while I’m at work or while I’m a passenger in a car:

1. The Joe Rogan Experience was the first one I started listening to and he led me to Dr. Kelly Brogan, life changer! Joe Rogan is a comedian himself but a very intelligent man and he interviews everyone from scientists, actors, business people, doctors, the list goes on. Its a very versatile podcast and you’ll definitely learn things listening to him and his guests.
2. Alien Theorists Theorizing is a conspiracy theory podcast but it’s hilarious!! Its 4 guys just adding their opinions to crazy conspiracy theories. I got addicted to this one and listened to all their episodes at work.
3. Armchair Expert with Dax Shephard is a really good one because he interviews a lot of famous celebrities and you get to hear/see them at their deepest, it’s like you’re in the room with them so you’re getting to know your favorite celebrities on a personal level.
4. Highest Self Podcast with Sahara Rose is a podcast on becoming your highest self spiritually, finding your soul, Ayurveda, connecting with your inner Goddess, meditation, the universe, etc. Her podcast is up in my menu if you would like to check her out, I love her podcast THAT MUCH!
5. Revolution Health Radio with Chris Kresser is an awesome health podcast, you can learn about the gut microbiome, ancestral dental health, asthma and allergies, treating PTSD with MDMA, Hashimotos disease, SIBO, IBS, functional medicine, etc. I found him through The Joe Rogan Experience and I was hooked. The best part is that his podcasts are around an hour so you get a quick dose of knowledge!
6. Expand Your Awareness with Aaron Doughty is another spiritual podcast. He teaches you tricks to become more aware, he is all about parallel realities, past lives, different dimensions, aliens, etc. He is also up in my menu if you want watch his youtube videos, that where I began!
7. The Life Stylist Podcast with Luke Storey is a good one I found through Sahara Rose’s Highest Self Podcast. He was a drug addict that overcame his addiction holistically and now he is a biohacker. He talks about LSD, ayahuasca, nootropics, human optimatization, he pretty much talks about being a super human, supplementing to achieve ultra strength, focus, and concentration.
8. Tiger Belly with Bobby Lee is a comedy podcast with comedian Bobby Lee and his girlfriend Khalyla. They interview other comedians, and a bunch of other famous people. I learned a lot from listening to the episode with Dr. Drew!
9. This Past Weekend with Theo Von is hilarious!! I love love love this one, he just says the funniest things about random current events.
10. Congratulations with Chris D’elia is also a comedy podcast, he is just like Theo Von and adds his own opinions to current events.

Primary vs. Secondary Emotions

What are emotions? Of course we know when we are emotional we are feeling one of the following – anger, fear, joy, sadness, love, and/or surprise. However, does anyone ever question what is occurring in our bodies when we are feeling emotional? Why do we feel this way? Emotions are physiological responses to situations, simply meaning, our bodies are releasing hormones so WE FEEL in our bodies what our minds are creating and thinking.

When we observe our negative emotions, it allows us to recognize what is happening internally (mentally & physically) so we can heal ourselves from what bothers us, the behaviors that have paved us to be the way we are. We can control our emotions if we are mindful! For every primary emotion contains a secondary emotion which will make us feel a physical sensation within our bodies. This includes feeling hot blooded, sweaty, shaking, excitement, shortness of breath etc… This is when our bodies are releasing hormones such as adrenaline, dopamine and cortisol.

The secondary emotions to anger:

• irritability
• resentment
• rage
• disgust
• envy (jealousy)
• misery

The secondary emotions to fear:

• nervousness
• worry
• anxiety
• worthlessness
• depression
• guilt

The secondary emotions to joy:

• cheerfulness
• contentment
• pride
• optimism
• relief
• enthusiasm
• fascination

The secondary emotions to sadness

• suffering
• hopelessness
• disappointment
• shame
• neglect
• sympathy

The secondary emotions to love

• affection
• lust
• longing

The secondary emotions to surprise

• amazement
• astonishment

Have a wonderful week!!!

Mental Resistance

Mental resistance is when our brains are hardwired to move away or resist from anything we think to be uncomfortable, so therefore staying within our comfort zones. To break out of mental resistance, practicing mindfulness and becoming aware when resistant thoughts occur and also recognizing how it makes your body feel, will rewire your neural pathways in the brain.

There are different versions of mental resistance:

1. Procrastination: “I have so much to do, i’ll just do it later” but in reality, you’re just avoiding getting started, possibly due to the fear of failing.
2. Fear: “This is new and scary”, “what if I fail?” – fear is the root cause of mental resistance. When you’re experiencing resistant thoughts and feelings, recognize what you may be afraid of in that moment.
3. Immediate gratification: distracting ourselves with TV shows, movies, news, food, sex, drugs, and alcohol to avoid starting something that may be difficult.
4. Self-doubt: “I am not ready”, “I don’t know how”, “I don’t deserve that”, “I’m not worthy of that”, “what if they don’t like me?” – you can always learn something and become proficient in it, and everyone is deserving of anything they desire. If you want it, go get it. End that negative self talk! Love yourself ❤
5. Criticism of others: Focusing on how we think others should live, to avoid ourselves and what we need to work on.
6. Analysis paralysis: The state of over-analyzing or over-thinking a situation so that a decision or action is never taken, causing a paralysis of the outcome.

What Is Perception?!

The Merriam-Webster’s definition of perception is:

1) a. A result of perceiving or observation

b. A mental image or concept.

2) Consciousness

3) a. Awareness of the elements of the environment through physical sensation

     b. Physical sensation interpreted In the light of an experience

4) a. Quick and intuitive cognition or appreciation

b. A capacity for comprehension

The last 5 days I’ve had off of work for July 4^th, and honestly to me it has felt like 2 weeks! I am so blessed to be able to go on another cruise with my momma, we had such a rockin’ time! We ate, we took midafternoon naps in the sun, and we were watching endless entertainment from one day into the next! It was a 3 day cruise but to me it felt like 5. I am so grateful to have Mondays off, so having one more day off made my perception of time feel like it was going by slower than it really was. Now after 5 days I am so ready to head back to work and get back into my routine of sleeping early, waking up early, exercising and making that $$$. I had such an eventful week and I enjoyed every moment of what we did! We met so many nice people, ate delicious food, saw a lot of amazing performers, and did awesome things!!

My mom’s perception of time was that our vacation was too short and she wanted to stay longer, completely understandable, who doesn’t want to just do nothing for a week while also doing so much at the same time. CRAZY I KNOW! Neither ways of how we viewed our vacation is right or wrong, it is just how two people perceive the same exact vacation differently. So if you’re ever in a disagreement with someone, to avoid a screaming match, consider what their perception might be, it may be different than yours and that doesn’t mean they’re wrong. There really is no right or wrong in this lifetime!

Have a great week!!

Is Your Sleep at Night Adequate?

We live in a chaotic world that has forgotten the importance of sleep for optimal health, most people are constantly on the go for work, pulling all nighters to study for exams, or dealing with stress which can lead to insomnia. Insomnia affects 70 million people, and many people are reaching for stimulants such as coffee and energy drinks during the day and using relaxants such as alcohol and sleep medications (prescriptions) or supplements like melatonin or valerian root to wind down at night. This is a vicious cycle that can create an unhealthy dependency which can ultimately lead to gaining weight, adrenal fatigue, chronic fatigue, brain fog, irritability, anxiety, digestive issues, and even risks for chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

We need to remember it’s okay to rest and to give our bodies a break! When we sleep our organs are recovering from working all day, tissues are repairing, and if you do heavy lifting, your muscles repair and protein synthesizes during sleep. Hormones that regulate appetite control such as ghrelin and leptin, stress, growth, and metabolism are released as well. Most importantly, when we sleep our memories are processed and consolidated, this allows for more memory storage which is vital for learning new information. So in addition to sleep affecting the mind- focus and creativity- it also affects the body and immune system.

Adults 18 years and older need between 7-9 hours of sleep a night, if you are younger you need more!!! To achieve restful sleep, eat your lightest meal in the evening consisting of protein and healthy fats (avocados, nuts, seeds, coconut oil, ghee, salmon are just some examples). This stabilizes blood sugar levels and avoids an insulin spike and crash cycle. Limit sugar consumption and do not drink caffeine after 2pm.

Your environment plays a huge role in deep sleep, keeping your bedroom clutter free, using calm/cool colors and good smells like essential oils decreases stressful energy. Removing all electronic devices is major because they all emit blue light which affects your body’s natural production of the hormone melatonin. This includes TVs, computers, tablets, and laptops, (this one is hard I know, it took me 27 years to finally give my TV the boot!) Blue light also leads to premature macular degeneration so use a bluelight filter if you can! Electromagnetic radiation is a serious thing guys, put your phones on airplane mode when you’re sleeping and keep it as far away from you as possible.

Reducing light and sound exposure is crucial for deep sleep. Creating a bed time routine which consists of sleeping at the same time every night and limiting technology and artificial light is also helpful for our circadian rhythms! Reading a book, journaling when those nagging thoughts occur, yoga, stretching, meditation, and deep breathing are some ways to get the body to relax at night instead of keeping it stimulated with light!

These are all lifestyle changes for sure, no need to do them all at once, but implementing them slowly will make a difference!

How to Make Pickles!!

I have always been a lover of pickles in any form, spicy dill pickles, fried pickles, pickles on my burger, even Indian pickles but that’s a whole other blog post HAHA So like most people who didn’t even think of how to make home made pickles I would just buy a jar of dill pickles and just throw that thing into my fridge!! Little did I know that these spears of joy I was consuming was not benefiting me in anyway. First off, store bought pickles contain preservatives such as citric acid, sodium benzoate, polysorbate 80, yellow #5, calcium chloride, natural flavors, and sugar, obviously to maintain an extended shelf-life (or refrigerator-life). I don’t know or want any of those ingredients, considering it only takes 5 ingredients to make. The preservatives prevent the probiotics from actually serving any purpose, they cease to exist. When I found out about this, I had to put my knowledge to the test, I wanted to consume living foods with prana (energy), this is what gives us energy and helps repopulate and heal the gut microbiota.

Recently I learned how to make pickles and sauerkraut, which is so simple and takes about 5 minutes to prepare. They contain an abundance and variety of probiotics as well, if anyone is ever questioning which kind of probiotic to get from the store, what kind of strain? How many CFUs? Skip the hassle and eat your creation!! I wanted to first make my own batch to make sure it didn’t kill me before I shared it with all you loyal knowledge seekers! My parents and my friend can also agree that they were [what us American’s say] THE BOMB!!! As you can tell I am so excited about this post because they really turned out way better than I had expected and I could hands down say as a Master of Pickles that they tasted so much better than any store bought pickle I have had in my life time. So I would like to share this magnificent discovery with everyone.

5 Ingredients: Using a 32oz mason jar

• mini cucumbers cut into quarters
• 1 tbsp pink Himalayan salt
• 1 tbsp pickling seasoning
• 2 cloves garlic
• filtered water
• (optional) 1 tsp red chili flakes for spicy pickles YUM!

Put the quartered mini cucumbers into the jar, add garlic, the 1tbsp of pink Himalayan salt and pickling seasoning, fill with filtered water to the top. SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE! Now just leave it sitting out on the counter for 10-15 days. I left mine out for 10 days and they went through periods of cloudiness and fizziness but do not be alarmed that is just part of the process!!! I went through a panic when I wasn’t able to get into my pickles jar so OPEN AND CHECK THEM EVERYDAY the jar might be hard to open as it ferments longer and longer. Once you are ready to eat your home made probiotics just put them into the fridge as the temperature now slows now the fermentation. The pictures below show day 1 (left), day 5 (middle), and day 10 (right) after refrigeration.

Voila! Making pickles is that simple with no preservatives and they last in the fridge for a long time as well. I ate about 3 a day since they were amazing and gave some away so they lasted about 4-5 days after I began eating them. They were in the fridge for 10 days while I was on vacation in Europe dancing the night away! No one died in the making of these pickles!!! You can create your own make and model of probiotic enriched pickles!

Have a wonderful weekend!!! Happy pickling!!!

What is Golden Milk? How to Make It Without Spending Loads of Money!

Golden milk is an Ayurvedic drink containing either dairy or non-dairy milks and turmeric and other spices that are healing for overall wellness. It should be drunk as a warm beverage with 1/2-1tsp of ghee (clarified butter), so it can melt, turmeric’s active ingredient curcumin is highly absorbed when combined with fats!

I only just discovered this health elixir a year ago, it can be found at any health food store. I personally found it to be quite expensive, luckily my mom has the ancestral information of Ayurveda, so with her knowledge and assistance I was able to create the exact same thing for so much cheaper!! I should mention that most store brands of golden milk contain organic maltodextrin which is still a chemical form of sugar, it doesn’t really make a difference if the chemical is organic or not, it’s still not recommended!

So today I share with you how easy it is to make your own golden milk with your own wholesome ingredients that’ll serve your bodies and wallets. First off let me begin by explaining the health benefits:

• Turmeric & curcumin have anti-inflammatory properties which aids joint and arthritis pain, and body aches. It is a potent anti-oxidant that aids in cell repair, it improves skin, brain, and digestive health, including ulcerative colitis. It also is anti-cancer, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial and an anti-fungal. Most importantly this root grown from the earth is more effective than so many prescription medications including narcotics and anti-depressants, without the harmful side effects and addiction!!!
• Black pepper is vital to enhance curcumin absorption. It also contains vitamin K, manganese, and iron for healthy digestion.
• Cinnamon and ginger root are cleansing spices, they are beneficial for digestive health, lowering blood sugar, and protecting against heart disease. They both also improve brain function including memory, and prevents Alzheimer’s disease.
• Date palm fruit powder and cardamon have a multitude of vitamins and minerals, including iron, selenium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, B-complex (all 12 B vitamins), copper, zinc and also contains fiber! They both improve bone health, digestive and heart health, anemia, and contributes to healthy hair and skin.
  Cardamon is good for lung and liver function and lowering blood pressure and blood sugar.
• Ashwaganda is an adaptogenic herb that benefits the whole body, its aids in stress and anxiety by reducing cortisol levels as well as lowers blood sugar levels, inhibits the growth of cancer cells, and lowers LDL cholesterol.

After mixing all the spices together, you can easily store it and drink it daily adding it to your favorite non-dairy milks. I use Forager Project’s cashew/coconut milk since it has 8g of fat!

Sources:
https://bit.ly/2Zz87Yi

https://bit.ly/2GPwSIj

The Books that Lead to Healing my Mind, Body, and Spirit!

In the summer of 2017 I decided to get back into reading books again, not for a school assignment, but for myself. I considered it an act of self care as I was nourishing my mind with self-help books. I used to be an avid reader as a child, (and I know this may happen some people) but after demands of school work heightened in middle school, my love for reading dwindled.

Now all the books I am going to recommend were recommended to me by the lightworkers in the menu above ^ so I am going to carry on the legacy of spreading wisdom and knowledge. You are here reading this today because something within you brought you here innately and you want to heal! SO EXCITING!

All 6 books helped me work through and balance my emotions, understand what my anxieties were and how to keep them in check. They have taught me how to live a stress free life in a stressful world and lead a healthier lifestyle via diet, meditation, yoga, deep breathing, journaling etc.

• The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle focuses on training the brain to becoming present so you do not worry about the past as it no longer exists or the future as it has not yet happened. Daily stresses are inevitable, this book really teaches you how to stay happy and unscathed during those times.
• A Mind of Your Own by Kelly Brogan is essentially a book version of an appointment with Dr. Kelly Brogan. She writes about overcoming depression, anxiety, hormone imbalances, autoimmune disorders, and coming off of anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications safely, holistically via diet and lifestyle. Don’t let the word “women” in the title stop the men from reading this book, this book can help everyone. She even gives you a meal plan with recipes!
• Warrior Goddess Training by Heatherash Amara focuses on dealing with childhood traumas that are possibly stunting our growth in adulthood. It has exercises in the chapters that help understand how our parents are our inner voices and cutting ancestral traumas now so we do not pass it on! It also changed my mindset on the ladies “time of the month” from a dreadful time to a sacred one.
• The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer taught me that we are not our thoughts, that we are the observer of our thoughts (our higher selves). He describes our thoughts and emotions as energy, and once you realize that, its quite easy to not associate with negative thoughts or emotions.
• Super Brain by Deepak Chopra is a manual on rewiring the brain. Our brain is a muscle and just like we can build our biceps, we can build our brain however we want, neuroplasticity.
• The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra was the book that confirmed all the other books. If anyone is a skeptic on living a peaceful, stress-free life by simply changing your mindset and beliefs, read this! This book taught me that we always have 2 choices, to either stay where we are, in the place where we so desperately no longer want to be in, or we can choose to do something different, we can change. We are in control of our own lives!

It took me 2 years to read these books. So no rush, enjoy the spiritual journey! It’s eye opening, scary, exciting, and over anything else, awakening!