by Nicole Johnson, MFA, CHHC | Health and Wellness, Integrative Therapy, Kidneys
So, 2020, eh? With all of the restrictions and constrictions we’ve been experiencing this year, let’s be sure to be even more loving to ourselves than ever before. Winter is a time of going inward, of being in the deep recesses of pre-creation, the place of potential, the place of darkness, the womb of possibility – before the seeds get planted. It’s a time of dormancy, of quiet, of stillness. We reside now deep within the kidneys, the place of our essence.
This is a good time for REFLECTION
Resolutions are abrupt, sometimes harsh, often with fearful, judgmental, guilt-induced roots. Resolutions are willful, aggressive and single-minded (often setting us up for a backlash).
Reflection is based in awareness, it is open, observational, gentle, expansive and unlimited.
One of the things that we’ve learned about profound and lasting personal transformation is that the temptation to speed along and make swift, hacking changes, doesn’t stick. If you’re ready for it, the ride is longer, deeper and ultimately more rewarding.
This takes different tools. The fun part is, these tools are creative and they run counter to the speed, end-gaming and competitive energy that for so long has run rampant in our collective culture. NOW –brought to you by the big slow down of 2020– we are already somewhat naturally more slowed. This is a place for gratitude to live.
As a soothing concept for our child, we have often provided the parable of the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly. In 2019, we were the caterpillar. Currently, we are in the liminal space – the primordial goo of undoing and recreating. The liminal space is ripe with possibility, it is transformation itself. This cannot be rushed, But it can be leaned into. It’s been long, but we need a bit more time, let us not rush it as it cannot be rushed.
Often, our greatest challenge is in our “inner work.” Why do we get stuck? Why do we sabotage ourselves? Why do we hold ourselves up to such high standards? Are you your own worst critic?
If 2020 has shed a light on anything, it is that NOW is the time to heal ourselves. It’s time for us to emerge and feel powerful without shame. It’s time to stop playing small.
We may not be able to control the pandemic but we can affect personal change. The turn of the New Year is a good time to reflect, release, and dream big. It is NOT a time to feel guilty, or redouble our efforts and make resolutions (also known as more rules).
Prior to March 2020, many of us suffered from subtle levels of stress, anxiety, perfectionism and fear, much of it we could not put a name to. Have you been able to see where your shadows are? Have you discovered new priorities?
How do we co-create personal change that is expansive and effective? How do we leap from where we are now, to where we’d like to be?
Try this simple technique to close out the old and bring in the new.
Step1 : Reflect. Take a few moments before the old year ends and the new one sweeps in and simply reflect. Grab a journal or piece of paper and take a few moments to just sit and gaze. How was your year? Yes, there are the overt traumas and challenges of the collective and personal journey this year – but do you have any silver linings?
What was really wonderful? What would you like to shed- that no longer serves you?
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Make a heading at the top of the page and call it “Reflections on 2020”
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Now list out “What I would love to keep”
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Then list out “ What I am Ready to Let Go of”
Step 2: Dream your future open. Clear out the future by being in the present. Sit quietly for 5 to 10 minutes, relax and do the work of it. Imagine that you can shed all that doesn’t work in your life. Gather it and simply compost it into the earth. Now… think about 2021. It’s clean, fresh, unencumbered. What do you want to place there? What do you want to occur?
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On a NEW page start with the Heading, “Visioning and Creating 2021″
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Be free, open, and expansive. Use what you’d love to keep and expand upon it until it feels good to you.
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Some really enjoy the process of creating a Vision Board.
Really see it. Claim it. Draw it. Write it. Paint it. Sing it. Drum it. Create it into being.
Step 3: Be creative and play. We are creators (you know, we make life…) so create! You don’t have to be a formal artist… just do something to let the energy flow. What might set your heart or spirit free—even for 20 minutes?
Get into the FLOW state. Color, draw, finger paint, do an interpretive dance, make a silly hat, make something. Seal your intentions with creative flow. Thank yourself and go and enjoy the rest of your day.
Remember, you are the conductor of the complex melody of your life. You are a being with power beyond measure. Use your power of reflection and awareness to create.
Have a beautiful celebration to close out 2020 and Happy New Year – welcoming in health, vitality, and possibility in 2021!
by Nicole Johnson, MFA, CHHC | Adrenal Fatigue, Health and Wellness, Immune Health, Insomnia, Prevention
Sleep is one of the most important tools we have to support good health. And it’s free.
The bedroom is the place we go to recharge, unwind, and support deep rest.
The bedroom is a sacred space.
Look around with an unbiased eye and take note of what’s happening in your bedroom.
Is it cluttered? Are there pictures or knick-knacks that drain your energy?
Sleep is critical for our physical, mental and emotional health. It is our time to unplug, recharge, detox, and quite literally, rest. This supports a healthy immune system and a healthy nervous system.
Without quality sleep, we experience greater emotional stress, susceptibility to illness (lowered immune response), premature aging
, and anxiety.
Here are 7 tips on enhancing your beauty and your health through sleep.
1. Remove the cell phone from your room. If you’re using it as an alarm clock, do yourself a favor and purchase a real one. Cell phones are always sending out and receiving a signal and this is highly disruptive to sleep.
2. Choose an alarm clock with red or orange light, not blue or green. Or go old school. The spectrum of red or orange light is much more soothing to our bodies. If you want to drop a few bucks on a super zen battery operated chime clock, check these out.
3. Sleep in the dark. Our bodies are programmed to sleep in the dark and wake with the light. Have you ever gone camping? Once the sun goes down, sleeping happens much sooner.
Buy black out curtains or simply hang extra fabric to seal out the light. Studies have shown that light while sleeping can affect hormones, mood, and ovulation in women.
4. Keep electronics away from your head. Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) disrupt our health and can trigger anxiety, restlessness, and prevent sound sleep. This includes alarm clocks (you can put this across the room or in the hallway), lamps, really anything plugged in to the wall. If you like to read at night, unplug the lamp before you settle to sleep. Some people even like to flip the circuit breaker.
5. Remove TVs, computers, stereos, and other unnecessary gadgetry from your bedroom. Studies have shown that once you turn off the TV it continues to radiate for 8 hrs. Not so good if you’re trying to rest and repair.
6. If you suffer from insomnia, try eliminating caffeine. Even a small cup of coffee at 8am could affect someone who is extra sensitive and prone to insomnia.
7. Create a nighttime ritual – 5- 30 minutes should do the trick. Here are some ideas to explore:A hot salt bath (or if your feet are hot, a cool foot bath with peppermint soap), slow yoga to meditative music, 10 deep belly breathes, or a foot rub. All of these bring your energy inward, calm the nervous system and prepare the body for sleep.
by Nicole Johnson, MFA, CHHC | Health and Wellness, Immune Health
It’s winter. It’s 2020. And after we wear our masks and wash our hands, and socially distance and do — All. The. Things. We still need to be sure we are caring for our heart, our spirit and our body in a tender and mindful way. We put together a little stay healthy during winter list.
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Drink Broth. Drink Tea. Get and stay warm from the inside out.
See our Homemade Bone Broth recipe for a delicious way to support your immune system through winter.
Any tea is wonderful. If you’re really feeling cold, try ginger tea to warm up quick and aid digestion. Fresh ginger is very warming – it is anti-bacterial and anti-viral. It has many other tremendous health benefits. It’s easy to make this into a tea – use vegetable peeler, chop and add to hot water – with a squeeze of lemon and some honey or stevia to taste.
Moxibustion is another way to bring warmth into the body. Chad can show you how you can work with this at home to great benefit – especially on your immune points. Also great at the start of a cold or illness. Call or email us.
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Keep your neck covered and your feet warm.
We say this every year – Fall, winter, and spring. Keeping your neck covered and protected from wind is an excellent way to keep external pathogens from entering your system. Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine work with heat and cold in the body. Cold constricts flow. Things get stuck. Warmth moves fluids, blood and Qi. Our feet also must stay warm. Most especially during a woman’s moon cycle it is vital to keep cold out of the feet.
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Take some things off of your schedule.
Learning to say no, and prioritize quiet and calm has far ranging health benefits. Support your nervous system and schedule downtime and rest.
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Drink good quality water.
Does your water have chlorine and fluoride in it? These are Halides which displace the iodine in your thyroid, weakening your system. Opt for quality sources of spring water, or filtered water preferably not in small plastic bottles – but in Non-BPA large bottles. (Plastic is an endocrine disruptor.)
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GET ENOUGH SLEEP.
We used all caps for this because this is one of the best ways to support your immune system, and it’s free. Your body needs time to rest and recharge. Many of us know this, but how often does life prevent us from practicing this? Even during these times, lack of sleep due to worry and stress can wreak havoc on our nervous system, digestion, immune system and our muscles and joints.
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Connect with JOY.
What brings you joy? This year, we are faced with this challenge ever so more. Joy is the antithesis of fear. It supports the heart spirit. For many, practicing being with the present moment can help lift us up a little bit. You may want to take up painting, photography, get a pet, walk more, play or listen to music. The most important thing is to be gentle with ourselves.
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Access the healing power of the natural world.
Don’t underestimate the healing power of nature. Immersing in nature (a hike, sitting with your back to a tree, gazing into a flower, taking a moment- to just be- sitting on a rock) is the ANTIDOTE to disconnection, stress, and disharmony (which eventually leads to dis-ease).
We invite you to cultivate your presence, take time for self-care, care for your being – body, mind, and spirit. We are all on this ride together. Stay Healthy! Call us if you need us. Call us just to talk. We are here.
by Nicole Johnson, MFA, CHHC | Adrenal Fatigue, Anti-Inflammatory, Digestion, Fatigue, Gut Health, Immune Health, Kidneys, Liver, Nutrition, Prevention, Recipes
Golden Milk is a delicious and nourishing drink that packs incredible health benefits into one warm mug at a time.
It’s very
Some of the wonderful benefits of Golden Milk:
- Anti-inflammatory – easing joint pain
- Soothing to the spirit and aids in digestion and sleep
- Supports healthy liver function
- Supports the spleen and stomach
- Supports healthy blood sugar levels
- Supports the heart and brain
- Supports a healthy immune system
- Supports the nervous system
The key Ingredient in Golden Milk is tumeric – which is a powerhouse. Curcumin is the most active ingredient in turmeric – It’s a strong antioxidant is anti-inflammatory, antibacterial anti-fungal. However, curcumin is not well-absorbed into the body — UNLESS it is blended with black pepper. Black pepper contains piperine which has it’s own anti-inflammatory properties. The black pepper enhances the curcumin ability to work synergistically with the body. Golden milk is blended with other herbs and spices for flavor and health benefits. Once you begin to get the hang of it you can add your own favorites in.
You can drink Golden Milk 2- 3 times per day. I prefer it before bed. You can make a homemade version with our recipe below or purchase a mix. We have used Gaia Herbs brand and it is wonderful – with the added benefit of Ashwaganda. Ashwaganda is an adaptogen which helps the body deal with stress. That said, you can certainly add that into your recipe.
Delicious Golden Milk at Home
- 1 cup Milk or Dairy Free coconut milk (regular, full-fat, canned)
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (can use MCT coconut oil)
- 1½ teaspoons ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom (optional – to taste – I love cardamom and addition to almost everything)
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- if sugar sensitive sweeten with 10 drops liquid pure stevia extract, or to taste
- OR Sweeten with raw honey to taste after removing from heat
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk together the coconut milk, water, coconut oil, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, and pepper. Warm slowly until hot but not simmering, about 7 minutes
- Remove the pan from the heat, and whisk in the stevia or honey (not both!)
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to three days
by Nicole Johnson, MFA, CHHC | Adrenal Fatigue, Fatigue, Gut Health, Health and Wellness, Immune Health, Kidneys, Nutrition, Prevention, Recipes
Homemade Bone Broth is deeply nourishing to the body.
It supports gut health, skin hair and nails and nourishes our deepest organs- the kidneys. This is food as medicine. Bone broth is a fantastic source of many gut-healing, anti-inflammatory agents. Healthy, pasture-raised and grass-fed animal bones and joints are rich in amino acids, gelatin, collagen. These components support the health of your bones, joints, and skin.
Collagen is an essential building block for a healthy gut lining. With homemade bone broth you can help repair damage by ingesting collagen-rich foods and supplements such as bone broth and hydrolyzed collagen powder.
It is important to source healthy and humanely raised pastured and grass-fed animals – so that you getting the healthy benefits of this traditional food.
Here is the simple recipe for chicken bone broth we make at home. There are other bone broth recipes you can find with a simple search (lamb, beef and fish).
Simple Homemade Bone Broth (Chicken)
- 1 chicken back
- 6 -12 or more chicken feet (this is an important ingredient as this is where much of the dense gelatin resides)
- 1 bay leaf
- 14 Cups of clean spring water (chlorine and fluoride free)
- 3 TBS of Himalayan salt or Celtic Sea salt
- 1 TBS of raw Apple cider Vinegar
Directions:
- Add all ingredients to Instant Pot or crock pot
- Add in apple Cider Vinegar – let sit for 1 hr – this helps leach all the nutrients and minerals out of the bones
- Instant Pot: Set on High Soup 120 mins
- Crock pot: Cook low and slow for 18-24 hours
- Stock Pot – stove top: Turn to a simmer and put lid on pot and let it simmer for 18-24 hours
When done pour through a tea strainer over the mug or bowl. Add other ingredients as desired. We like the broth just this way. But you can add other ingredients before or after cooking.
- Garlic (crush and let sit for 15 min before adding in or cooking with it as it activates the healing benefits)
- Fresh Ginger
- Squeeze of fresh lemon
- Celery, onion, carrot, etc.
- We will also use it to make soup. We like to sauté the holy trinity of onions, garlic and celery – add diced carrots, beets and broth.
With the instant pot – we keep the broth going on warm for a few days and serve hot from there straining as we serve.
Process from the stove top or out of the Instant Pot or Crock pot:
- Turn off and let cool for 30 min to hour, then lift out all the bones/veggies and set aside
- Pour the broth through strainer to filter out all the grit into another bowl
- Cover and refrigerate. The fat will separate and rise to the top.
- Remove from fridge and you may now skim off the fat with a large metal spoon (some leave the fat on). The broth should be jelly-like which is WHAT YOU WANT – it means it is loaded with collagen and gelatin.
- You can now put a wide mouth funnel over a few mason jars.
- Put up to 3 days worth in the fridge and freeze the rest. It only stays fresh for about 3-4 days. You can freeze it for up to one year. PLEASE NOTE: Only fill mason jars for the freezer 75% when frozen the broth will expand and the jar will crack.
Benefits of Homemade Bone Broth
- Gut Health: The dense gelatin in bone broth is a vital nutrient for healing the gut
- Aids Digestion
- Improves joint health.
- Strengthens your immune system
- Anti-Inflammatory
- Anti-aging
- Makes your hair, nails, and skin glow
- Can improve sleep
Simple Homemade Bone Broth (Chicken)
- 1 Vhicken back
- 6 -12 Or more chicken feet ((this is an important ingredient as this is where much of the dense gelatin resides))
- 1 Bay leaf
- 14 Cups Clean spring water ((chlorine and fluoride free))
- 3 TBS or less of Himalayan salt or Celtic Sea salt
- 1 TBS Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
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Add all ingredients to Instant Pot, crock pot, or stop top
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Add in apple Cider Vinegar – let sit for 1 hr – this helps leach all the nutrients and minerals out of the bones
Cooking Method
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Instant Pot: Set on high/ seal – Soup for 120 mins
Crock pot: Cook low and slow for 18-24 hours
Stock Pot – stove top: Turn to a simmer and put lid on pot and let it simmer for 18-24 hours
When done pour through a tea strainer over the mug or bowl. Add other ingredients as desired. We like the broth just this way. But you can add other ingredients before or after cooking.
- Garlic (crush and let sit for 15 min before adding in or cooking with it as it activates the healing benefits)
- Fresh Ginger
- Squeeze of fresh lemon
- Celery, onion, carrot, etc.
- We will also use it to make soup. We like to sauté the holy trinity of onions, garlic and celery – add diced carrots, beets and broth.
With the instant pot – we keep the broth going on warm for a few days and serve hot from there straining as we serve.
Process from the stove top or out of the Instant Pot or Crock pot:
- Turn off and let cool for 30 min to hour, then lift out all the bones/veggies and set aside
- Pour the broth through strainer to filter out all the grit into another bowl
- Cover and refrigerate. The fat will separate and rise to the top.
- Remove from fridge and you may now skim off the fat with a large metal spoon (some leave the fat on). The broth should be jelly-like which is WHAT YOU WANT – it means it is loaded with collagen and gelatin.
- You can now put a wide mouth funnel over a few mason jars.
- Put up to 3 days worth in the fridge and freeze the rest. It only stays fresh for about 3-4 days. You can freeze it for up to one year. PLEASE NOTE: Only fill mason jars for the freezer 75% when frozen the broth will expand and the jar will crack.
