I’m Back!! Catch Up With Meg.

Hey everyone I’m back! It’s been a long while, usually during the holidays I like to disconnect and spend time with family. This year I was fortunate to spend Christmas and New Years with cousins I haven’t seen in over 5 years! Instead of making New Year’s resolutions, I make New Year goals. My current goal is to overcome my fears. Fears of failure, fears of the unknown, fears of the past, fears of the future.

I’ve been reading a lot of books the last 3 months to start finally getting in touch with myself instead of distracting me from myself. In January I tapped into my inner child and read my favorite books when growing up. I read 6 books of the Junie B. Jones book set and 6 books of The Magic Tree House. What was initially a silly spontaneous purchase ended up being a challenge for myself to read as many books I can within a month. I managed to read 12 while also working a full time job and I am proud of that!

I listened to the audiobook of Discover Your Dharma: A Vedic Guide to Finding Your Purpose by Sahara Rose. Such a good read, I blew through this one within a week! Everyone has a purpose in life and discovering it is such a game changer for increasing quality of life. The Japanese call this Ikigai- the reason of being. Instead of just being alive, start living!

Over the last 5 years, I went from not really having any sort of goals or purpose to at least knowing what it is I want to do to help people in my lifetime. I thought life was just a big party, my motto was: live fast, die young. Today’s Meg cringes at 5 years ago Meg!! I went from abusing my body with alcohol and drugs to finally appreciating my body and treating it like a sacred temple. We have one life to live which is so short, why speed up death?!

In the last 3 months, I’ve learned immensely about myself. What I want in life, what I don’t want in life. This is my last year of my 20’s so I need to step up my game so I have a thriving 30s! 2021 is the year I come out of my shy shell. I show the world who I am without being scared of who I am. I’m so proud of who I’ve become, I’ve been learning the guitar, Spanish, I journal everyday (super super helpful for inner work), I got into pottery, I meditate and do yoga every morning and I am pursuing classes in Ayurvedic Medicine!

These are things “I thought I couldn’t do” until I got past my ego of negative thoughts, “nah just sleep in today, I can do yoga after work.” We all know the yoga after work never happens after a long tiring day. After staying consistent, my mindset has completely changed, now I WANT to get up in the morning and do yoga and I feel amazing when I do it. I’m so excited to continue my healing journey because there are always things as humans we can work on to become better versions of ourselves. After feeling stagnate and a lack of motivation, taking care of my mental and physical needs have bounced me right back!

Welcome To My Garden!

Hey guys!! I know it’s been quite a while since my last post, I’ve recently been focusing my attention to my newest project… gardening!! If you follow me you’ll know I recently moved and was blessed with a bigger yard to pursue my passion in gardening. So right now I’m growing quite a few fruits and vegetables, it’s definitely hard work, but its soooooo totally worth it!!!

Every morning I enjoy waking up and taking a walk around the garden to look at any progress, pests, and diseases. I will pull any mushrooms from the raised bed and keep up on any maintenance. Having the garden has given me a sense of routine to uphold every morning, which forces me to meditate and exercise or at least stretch to get my day going! Then I will go to work and when I come home I love to go straight to the garden to see the growth that has developed over the day!!! It’s so amazing to see the fruits of your labor! Today my mom and I harvested okra, fenugreek and cilantro. We also saw the cucumber fruiting, after it combated a nasty worm infestation about a month ago.

What gardening has taught me is that loss will occur but great things are yet to come. I have a really hard time cutting plants, but what I need to realize is that cutting it, allows it to flourish!! I am so excited to be growing my own produce. I’m currently growing radishes, beet root, asparagus, brussel sprouts, okra, sweet potato, tomatoes, napa cabbage, cucumber, malabar spinach, a plethora of assorted chili peppers, bananas, moringa, mango, jackfruit, sapote, ivy gourd, curry leaves, and an assortment of herbs such as basil, thai basil, sage, dill, tarragon, oregano, thyme, cilantro, parsley, rosemary and chives.

It’s always something I’ve wanted to do since I was a young child, most likely from watching my mom, grandma and grandpa always in the garden, made me naturally want to follow in their footsteps. There will be days I will feel a bit overwhelmed thinking I’ve bitten too much than I can chew, however, thus far when the garden has experienced any foreign invader threats in the forms of pests and diseases I’ve gotten advice from friends that have prevented any heavy damage. So thank you to those who give me advice on maintaining my garden, yall know who you are!!

Gardening is work, yet somehow it doesn’t feel like work to me. I absolutely enjoy the heavy lifting that goes along with maintaining a garden because as seen in my last post about The Blue Zones, the exercise that we get from gardening helps with increasing our life expectancy! It’s helped me cultivate even more patience, diligence, and a grateful mindset for what goes into growing the food we eat. It’s so easy to go to the grocery store and buy our produce, but does anyone really think about what goes into growing what we eat? Farmers don’t get enough credit for how much hard laborious work they put into producing your food.

Also a lot of the produce we get from grocery stores are sprayed with pesticides because yes, pests on produce is a real problem, but do you really want cancer causing chemicals in your food supply? It really makes you question what you are putting into your body and I stand by organic gardening and using only organic pesticides like neem oil, chilies, and garlic.

The whole point of consuming food is to nourish our bodies and if our produce contains toxic chemicals that are hurting us, I’d rather pass on grocery store produce and grow my own while I get a work out doing it!! On that note here are a few pictures of my garden and what I am currently growing. Follow me on Instagram @thevitaqueen1 for daily posts on gardening updates and general holistic wellness facts!!

Healthergy’s 1 Year Anniversary!!!!

Its been 1 year since I started blogging again and what a phenomenal year it has been. I’ve tapped into my creativity and I’ve found ways to help others on their healing journey while I help myself too! Thank you to everyone who comes here to learn, were all in this together and lets keep it going!!

So on that note, I would like to apologize for not posting for a while. Since my last post, I finished up my health coaching course so now I am officially a Certified Holistic Health Coach. Click on the Rainbow Body Vitality link in the menu to learn more about the services I offer to help you accomplish your health goals!!

Last month I turned 28 years young and my lovely parents took me on a wonderful trip to New Zealand!! The beauty bestowed upon me in every city of this gorgeous island made me feel so clear headed, refreshed and bursting with new ideas and goals. I am so grateful for my parents for taking me on their travels, New Zealand is definitely my favorite country. The people are so nice, it is incredibly safe, and our bus driver who got a speeding ticket ran over to the cop car to get her ticket without getting shot, it was what I can picture heaven to be like!!! That part of the world including Australia had no plastic straws, only paper, and they were hardcore into recycling. It was a very clean country where the land is preserved for all the sheep and cows. That was the best part, there are more grass-fed animals than humans, obviously the minimal crime makes sense now!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE ❤

The picture on top is known as “The Hole in the Rock” or Piercy Island located near Bay of Islands. The bottom picture is of the volcano on White Island that erupted in December, I’ve never seen an erupted volcano so close, that is still smoke coming out of it!

We also went to Tauranga, where we drove an hour to Mata Mata. This is where all the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit fans congregate!! I literally cried when I heard the music from the movie mixed with the scenic surroundings of green grassy hills and mountains, with plethora of sheep and cows lounging and living their best life! The green door is Bag End the home of Bilbo Baggins! The tree is iconic because it was the tree that caught the attention of the director to film here.

An hour away from Mata Mata was Rotorua. The indigenous Maori people lived here on geothermal hot springs and they bathe and cook their food in these. Rotorua mud (the bottom right picture) is good for your skin, mud spas are famous here!

Napier is a small art district town that was destroyed by an earthquake. It had a Universal Studios/old Hollywood vibe to it. It was rebuilt and now is a great place to shop with beautiful flowers all around you!

This was in Picton, another cute little town, with breathtaking views of the mountains and ocean! While I was playing Pokemon Go here, a nice lady came upto me and gave me a rock she had painted. The website is GoRock.com anyone can do it, just collect rocks and paint them however you’d like and give them to strangers or leave them around for strangers to find. Each rock has a unique code on the back you enter into the website, you can see where your rock has gone around the world!!

This was a volcano that erupted 28,000 years ago, forming a massive crater!!! Mount Eden has a great 360 view of the entire city of Auckland. It was quite a hike to get up here, but it definitely did not disappoint, my 70 year old father jogged up this mountain, the first time I’ve ever seen him run!!

I’m usually always home sick after a long vacation, I am dying to come back to my own country and home. But New Zealand stole my heart!!! I will definitely be back!!! ❤

What Are Bach Flower Remedies?

Last year I went to a Naturopath who introduced me to the Bach Flower Remedy. It is a blend of flower extracts derived from wild plants and there are 38 different kinds discovered by Dr. Bach, these extracts are watered down and mixed in brandy. As I’ve written in previous posts, negative emotions store in different organs and after years of these stored emotions, the body begins to manifest diseases like heart disease, diabetes, liver issues, kidney issues, cancer etc. (Check it out!) These remedies work on healing negative emotions such as fears, uncertainties, lack of motivation, loneliness, sadness, and over-sensitivity are to name a few, which will ultimately lead to healing physical illnesses. The belief in homeopathy is that the body can heal itself, and when your mind is balanced it is easier to bring your body and soul into equilibrium!

Each flower remedy is specially personalized for what you are feeling at that present time. When I used my own personal blend, I happened to be having irrational fears of losing my parents, I was having negative thoughts about my relationship, and I was angry because I was insecure and sad. After using my remedy for 4 weeks I felt like I was a new person – I felt so emotionally balanced, I was no longer angry and was so nice and positive – I had the motivation to conquer my dreams! During this time I began holistic health coaching school, I started my health blog, and I was reaching new heights of sobriety – it felt like for the first time I was getting my life together! I call these flower remedies flower power juice because of how awesome they made me feel during and after taking it.

It’s been a year now since my last Naturopath session and my flower power blend so I am ready to go back and continue my healing journey. This past year I have witnessed the deaths of many loved ones and I feel like healing never truly quite ends, it’s a constant process and when you’re feeling low in life, seeking a little help from nature may help you flow back into positivity! This post is dedicated to my uncle Milind Nayak one of the creative legends in my ENTIRE family. RIP ❤

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!

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.