Vol. 3, Issue 53, May 28, 2009
From the Desk of the Diva
 Well, the 90-Day "Don't Be So Obsessed About What You Eat" Detox has some to an end, but that was just the first round. For those of you who would like to sign on, stay tuned, because we've got an ongoing version planned to be in effect in the next few days.
Trust a recovering Overachievers Anonymous member to be able to wait less than 24 hours before starting up the next adventure. ;-)
Check out the latest 21-Day Challenge happening on the blog. As usual, it's FREE and available to anyone with a spirit of adventure. This challenge is designed to take us right up to the first day of Summer and the start of what may very well be the most wide-reaching project I've ever created.
Shannon Leone and I have been very hard at work with the preparation of The Raw Mom Summit and I dare say I've impressed myself. Watch for it because it's absolutely spectacular and Shannon's work in pulling together the people and passion to make this happen has been very impressive. We'll likely be launching it the beginning of next week!! Stay tuned...
In this week's issue of Health in High Heels we have a shnazzy, spicy new recipe from Angela Elliott. Angela's book Alive in 5 has been flying off the shelf faster than I can keep it in stock. This book truly is the PERFECT simple starter book to anyone looking to incorporate more raw food meals into their lives.
We've got two great articles for you this week--a recipe for a natural facial cleanser, and an inspirational article encourage you to get your yoga on for better health and emotional poise! With that, my lovely, I'm off to salute the sun!
In the weeks ahead, may summer roll her floral carpet out for you and call upon an orchestra of birds inviting you to embrace your beautiful life all over again!
Tera
P. S.
Remember to check out that 21-day challenge we'll be doing on the blog and make this your best bikini season ever!
In this week's issue:
Recipe of the Week: Spicy Thai Green Curry by Angela Elliott.
The Raw Deal: Alive in 5! Order now and save $10. (The price is going up next week!)
Feature Article: Natural Facial Cleanser and Yoga Poses for Maintaining Emotional Poise
The Raw Deal: Save $30 on our Craving-Buster Course!
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Spaghetti marinara, broccoli and cheese sauce and lasagne!
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Recipe of the Week: Spicy Thai Green Curry
This recipe comes to us care of our in-house kitchen goddess, Angela Elliott. Angela is the author of Alive in 5, A Diva's Guide to Juices & Cocktails, and The Simple Gourmet!
Ingredient List 1 (Curry Sauce): Water and flesh of 2 Thai young coconuts
2 small jalapenos
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 shallots or ½ medium Onion
2 tablespoon fresh lemongrass
2 tablespoon fresh ginger
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 lime, juiced and its rind minced
1/4 cup fresh basil, packed
1/2 cup cilantro, packed
1/2 teaspoon unpasteurized non-soy miso
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Ingredient List 2 (Vegetables):
Mixed chopped vegetables (snow/snap peas, cabbage, carrot, green beans, cauliflower, etc) Spinach and chopped cilantro for serving
Directions:
Blend List 1 ingredients. Pour sauce over mixed vegetables and serve on a bed of spinach garnished with chopped cilantro. For a true Thai custom, offer side condiments of dried red pepper flakes and chopped jalapenos in lemon juice. NOTE: Inland Sea Water can be added to taste, if needed
"What gorgeous jugs you have!"
Less than 30 left of our Limited Edition black printed jugs! Read more here...
Back to Basics Facial Cleansing Formula
By Tracy Neely
 So often I am asked what type of cleanser I recommend for cleansing your face and, honestly, there are so many cleansers on the market that range from the not so expensive to the, "Holy cow I just spent my whole paycheck on face" prices. I want to share a very simple recipe with you that will not only cleanse your skin, but will restore that rosy glow you see on gorgeous, healthy young children. When you mix any type of clay with grains, you get this unbelievable treatment for the skin.
Clay is awesome for the skin because it is high in minerals and nourishes the skin with nutrients that are thousands of years old. Clay is very detoxifying for the skin and will remove the toxins that have accumulated over time. Depending on your skin type you can use white clay (which is less drying and very gentle to the skin) or green, red or yellow clay (which really aids oily or blemish-prone skin because of the high amount of minerals in the clay). Whichever you choose, you will notice a difference that will have you smiling from ear to ear.
I started grinding my own grains to make for an exfoliating treatment after realizing that a lot of the products on the market were full of toxic ingredients that don't nourish the skin. It's a good idea to buy a coffee grinder that you can solely for grinding grains and herbs. It is also a good idea to buy another one if you enjoy grinding your own coffee beans. You don't want your herbs to smell like coffee. When grinding your herbs and grains, you want to make sure that you leave a little grit because that will allow you to get a better exfoliation treatment.
Whenever choosing ingredients, be sure you know what each ingredient does in the formula, so that you can substitute and be creative with other ingredients that may work similarly. Have fun with the recipe and share with your friends and family for a "spa night".
Recipe
- 1 cup finely ground oats (rolled oats)
- 2 cups white clay*
- ¼ cup finely ground almonds
- ⅛ cup finely ground lavender flowers
- ⅛ cup finely ground rose petals
- 5 drop lavender essential oil
*substitute the white clay for green clay if you have oily or acne-prone skin. Combine all the ingredients. Store in a glass container with a tight fitting lid
To use, mix 1 to 2 teaspoons of the cleansing formula with water. Stir into a paste and gently massage on the face. Rinse off with warm water and apply your favorite moisturizer.
Happy Cleansing!
Tracy
Bikini Season is Coming...
Finding Emotional Balance Through a Regular Yoga Practice
By Daniela Magozzi
Do you want to feel connected to the inherent joyfulness of your heart even when the entire world appears to be in turmoil? What if you had the emotional poise to be able to remain calm and grounded even when:
- The stock market is crashing and the ozone layer is being depleted?
- You have a gut feeling you might not have a job tomorrow?
- Someone you love has cancer?
- Your crazy relative is visiting for an entire month?
- Your children or partner are being REALLY crabby?
Yoga to the Rescue!!
Let me start out by clarifying that you don't have to be able to stand on your head to gain emotional balance through yoga. The word yoga comes from a Sanskrit word, yukti, and means "union" or "yoke." The various physical and mental disciplines of yoga were developed as methods for everyday folks to attain union with the divine and achieve emotional and physical balance. This article is designed to give you easy to apply methods to open up the flow of energy in your body so you can keep your cool no matter what life throws at you.
Why Practice Yoga?
Yogic philosophy considers emotions to be energy that moves through the body. When we react impulsively to negative events and emotions, energetic patterns of reactivity get stuck in our bodies and can even make us physically ill. Yogic practices help us release the energetic patterns of tension, anxiety, worry, anger, fear, compulsive patterns and addictive behaviors, and past traumas without having to analyze or relive past traumatic memories.
Developing a consistent, easy, and fun-to-do yoga practice can give you a deep sense of joy, soothe and ground a hyperactive nervous system, and end emotional reactivity. After a period of regular yoga practice, many folks find themselves responding proactively to events that used to make them lose their cool.
Negative energetic patterns are processed and released in yoga not by bypassing intense emotions. Rather, in yoga we dive directly into our present moment experience by bringing our focus out of mental gyrations and into our bodily sensations, our breath, and our heart. Often specific emotions get stuck in a particular area of the body and manifest as pain or tension, such as knee, pelvic, or back pain. Doing yoga postures (asanas) that open up these areas of the body can help restore your emotional poise. When you can't pop into a yoga posture, the yoga practices below will get you out of mental turmoil and into a state of calm mindfulness.
 Mini-Guide to Finding Emotional Balance through Yoga
As promised, here are my simple tips to finding emotional balance through yoga whether you are a seasoned yogini or a newbie. Don't think too much about these tips, just have fun experimenting with them. Your body will thank you. These can be integrated into any yoga class and should definitely be practiced in your daily life.
Intention: Whether you are about to begin yoga class or about to begin your day, take a moment to focus on your in and out breath. Put your hand on your heart where the Self or divine spark resides. Inwardly or outwardly speak an intention to connect with your divine spark today. Visualize yourself living your life from your heart in detail. How do you look, what are you wearing? How do you react to other people? How do they react to you? Experiment with living your vision. With regular practice this vision will become your reality.
Focus on Sensations: This practice will increase physical and emotional awareness and help put a stop to emotional reactivity if you learn to practice it when you are stressed out and on the verge of a meltdown. Begin by practicing it when you aren't in a state of emotional turmoil. Regularly take a few moments in your day to stop working, close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and do a quick scan from head to toe of the sensations in your body. Start at the crown of your head and work your way to your toes. Just notice what sensations are there without judgment.
Spend a few extra moments in areas of tension and send your breath there. If you have a regular yoga practice, make a note to do few postures that open these areas of your body when you have a few free moments. If you don't have the slightest clue which yoga postures to try out, get yourself to the nearest yoga class ASAP.
Your Life on Yoga:
Imagine you are about to loose your temper with someone you love, or your heart is hurting something awful and you are about to devour an entire pan of brownies someone left at your house after a dinner party. All of a sudden you feel a tap on your shoulder and a calm voice whispers in your ear and says:
"Hey sweetie, let us take a step back from this emotional turmoil. Let's explore this emotion from a place of calm acceptance, compassion, and equanimity. Take a deep breath and the anger or sadness will eventually pass without you making your loved one cry or hurting your body. Be in the moment so you can see it for what it is and know that this, too, will change."
This type of experience is the fruition of consistent and earnest yoga practice. Embrace it and enjoy living in the moment!
Daniela Magozzi holds a B.A. in Contemplative Psychology and the Traditional Eastern Art of Yoga from the renowned Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She has taught hatha yoga in corporate settings in the Bay Area.
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This week's Raw Deal is that you can save $30 if you buy program on How to Overcome Cravings and Emotional Eating before next week's issue of Health in High Heels! (IMPORTANT NOTE: The sale price is hidden. This is for Health in High Heels readers ONLY!
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