Katie 4/8/16 “Using Herbs for Skin Care and Children”

By Katie

What is up, dude! It’s great to be here with ya, you know, in spirit and stuff. I’m really glad you’re here! How’s it going? How’s life? Is it treating you pretty good? You got any cool plans or new goals you’re excited about? Man, I’d love to hear about it! These posts are always me, me, me, and sometimes I just wanna hear about you! Have you been trying any of this holistic lifestyle out? Talk to me! I get lonely out here all alone, crying into the void.

As promised, today’s post is about using herbs for skin care and also which herbs are good for kids and babies. I always keep my promises for you, my tender little pumpkin muffin. The information I share today is from the same Plant Medicine Summit online conference that I talked about 2 weeks ago. Let’s get right into it, shall we?

The gal who presented this gave a standard skin care regimen with the three step cleansing, toning, and moisturizing we’re all accustomed to doing. This is powerful stuff, because there are no chemicals and it’s very gentle. She works in a spa and these are some of methods. No one need worry about skin sensitivity when doing a routine like this (unless you have crazy bad allergies, in which case, you should be looking at cleanses for your insides instead of your outsides).

CLEANSING

Calendula (marigold) is a gentle cleanser and is also edible. When made into an oil, it can be used as a face cream. To make calendula oil, add dried petals to oil (she uses jojoba) and let it sit for 2 weeks. Strain out the petals and refrigerate it. This does have an expiration date, unlike the chemical crap we normally put on our bodies, so make an amount you know you’ll use up.

TONING

Aloe vera is an amazing plant for this. It is deeply moisturizing, regenerates skin, treats burns, is antibacterial, anti inflammatory, full of Vit B, C, and zinc. Just cut a piece off the plant and apply to your face. You’ll have living toner, right at your fingertips! Not to mention an amazing burn medicine. Read this short article about the powers of aloe vera, and then go get your own plant!

MOISTURIZING

Amalaki, also known as Indian Gooseberry, is the plant recommended for moisturizing. It is full of Vit A and C, slows down the degeneration of collagen (which keeps our skin elastic and youthful), is an antioxidant, and is also edible. You can apply it to your face, or find it in a drinkable form in Indian food stores.

Another recommendation is to do herbal steams. These are good for your skin and respiratory system as well. Sweating it out in a sauna is also very detoxifying for the skin. Remember, the skin is our largest organ. It needs plenty of care to stay healthy!

I learned something awesome about herbs. It is kind of duh if you think about it, but I don’t know if we ever do. Some herbs have cooling effects, and others heating. This is why we drink mint tea in the summer and cider with cinnamon and cloves in the winter. Use them appropriately for your needs and receive greater benefit. And of course, herbs need to be fresh to be effective in healing.

HERBS FOR CHILDREN AND BABIES

Black Elderberry

Can use the berry and the flower. It’s an antioxidant, good for the immune system. Also antiviral, can prevent colds and flu. It works powerfully on the health of mucus membranes. Health food stores sell this in syrup form, which makes it easier to give your kiddos.

Chamomile

Use the flowers in a tea. It is anti inflammatory and has a calming effect--use it to help kids get to sleep. It’s great for skin problems, eczema, dry skin, etc and also fighting allergies. Aromatherapy benefits include mood elevation or to help with sleep. Use it as a rinse for gingivitis and cold sores.

Lemon Balm

This is calming and uplifting, improving cognitive abilities and relaxing muscles. Add to your child’s bath if he doesn’t want to drink a tea.

Echinacea

In the spring and summer, use the flower to prevent illness. It fights infection, strengthens the immune system, and is anti inflammatory. In the fall, use the root and seed for fighting colds and flu. It improves the lymphatic system and can also soothe tonsils and earaches. I know health food stores sell echinacea in chewable form and capsules, so there are a few ways to get this to your kid.

When it comes to using medicinal herbs with children, do know that there are many options out there! Always research to make sure it’s safe in the case of infants, and always use common sense. God has created an amazing medicine cabinet for us without side effects. Dealing with awful side effects should never be an option for us when the answers are in the garden. Take advantage of the power of the Creator when it comes to healing, and see the benefit in yourself and your family!

Live well,

Katie

Claire 3/18/2016 “What is Rest?”

Last weekend I definitely took Katie’s post to heart. The day she posted it, I went to a hair salon and got my hair cut. Afterwards I walked across the street to a bread store and bought a loaf of pumpkin chocolate chip bread. Later that day I had a photoshoot with a friend for my upcoming graduation, then avoided homework like the plague the whole weekend. It wasn’t a very productive weekend, except for the fact that it was indeed quite productive for my health: mental, spiritual, and physical.

This week, however, was crazy-hectic!

Monday: I had two classes and Family Home Evening (we watched a movie), but on top of that I had to finish a book, read more of Northanger Abbey, and took a midterm for my Tuesday classes.

Tuesday: I had three classes back to back from 8am-1pm and a rehearsal for a big concert we’re doing in Salt Lake City today and in Rexburg tomorrow.

Wednesday: I just had my two classes, but I had to make sure all my homework for the rest of the week and Monday and Tuesday of next week was done. I also went on a date with my roommate to watch Peter and the Starcatcher which was being done on campus (she needed to do it for a class).

Thursday: I had my three classes back to back and then another rehearsal.

Today: I had to wake up at 6:30am so that I could be at the meeting point for the concert I’m in by 8am. I’ll be on the road, rehearsing, and singing in a concert all day today in Salt Lake City. Then tomorrow I have the concert again in Rexburg.

So, how do I balance all of this stuff? Well, the short answer is I don’t. The long answer is that I feel so overwhelmed that sometimes I let stuff slip, even though it’s all important. I’ve found that the best thing to do when I’m busy like this is to just relax, figure out what I need to do and organize all of that first, and then fill in the cracks with stuff I want to do.

For example, this week I’ve somehow managed to do yoga every day. Even if it’s just a few minutes of peace in the morning, it is so worth it!

So as you go through the next few weeks and months and you start feeling the way I do now, just remember to slow down, breathe in deeply, and prioritize everything you need to do.

Live well,

Claire

Claire 3/4/2016 “Why Yoga?”

Hey all! 

It feels like forever since I wrote a blog post (I know, it’s only been a couple weeks)! Well, I’ve known for a few weeks that I wanted to write about Yoga, because it’s an important part of my routine. However, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to write about exactly. There’s just so much about Yoga! Most of it I’ve learned through personal research and by looking up videos on Youtube. Recently, however, I joined this online community called Zenward. This is an online Yoga community focused on providing Yoga routines for Yogis from Beginning to Advanced. I absolutely love it, because our instructors could be from anywhere in the world, and I can do one routine over and over until I get it! Plus, I don’t have to go anywhere to exercise, all I need is my computer and the internet.

However, today when I went to do Yoga, I couldn’t get through the first five minutes of a ten minute flow that I’ve done half a dozen times. I couldn’t figure out why. Sure, I haven’t done Yoga for a couple weeks, but could I really be out of shape already?

For those of you who exercise regularly, you know that the answer is yes, but it’s probably not that simple of an answer either. There could be any number of reasons:

• Not enough sleep
• Not eating enough/well enough
• Not drinking enough water
• The shot I got in my arm yesterday which is still hurting after a day
• And it could even be as simple as motivation

It's hard to tell, but this is Warrior Pose. I don't have my arms
up just because I was in between poses.

That is why it’s SO important to stay on top of your workout routines. Not only that, but to also stay healthy, eat healthy, drink healthy. Really, it’s all about making everything in your body work harmoniously so that you can be in the best shape possible!

This is really hard on me. I was always a healthy kid, but my family wasn’t big on the whole exercise thing, and we did splurge and eat candy and other foods that aren’t the best for our bodies on occasion. This isn’t bad necessarily, it just didn’t teach me healthy habits. I’ve had to learn to create my own healthy habits as an adult, which hasn’t been easy on me. And I’m still learning!

Yoga helps me to realize how each part creates the whole. If one thing is out of whack, everything else will be too, and Yoga understands this. I don’t want to just practice Yoga when I’m on the mat, but I want to practice Yoga in all aspects of my life! And I want to have fun with it while I’m at it! Oh hey, look at that! I AM having fun!

I hope that you will consider these things when you are deciding how to be healthier. And remember, Yoga isn’t just a way to exercise: It’s a way of Life!

Namaste,

Claire

Claire 2/5/16 "Unwinding From Stress"

By Claire

If you google or pinterest “Living a Holistic Lifestyle” you can find lots of ideas on how to start. In fact, I’d recommend you do that right now! However, I am going to start focusing on a few of the most basic ways of living a holistic lifestyle starting from the bottom and working my way up. These are simple ways of starting the process that will lead you to a new way of living without a ton of stress, which is one of the reasons you should try living a more holistic lifestyle because stress is terrible on you mentally and physically.

One very important aspect of living a holistic lifestyle is learning to unwind at the end of the day, and even in the middle because this will help you to feel less stressed overall. Here are a few ways you can unwind:

1. Read a book! I would recommend reading at least one informative book each month. This will keep you learning throughout your life and help you to become the person you want to be continually. Lately I’ve kept “The 5 Love Languages for Singles” in my backpack everywhere I go (even though it’s one more book I need to carry around on campus in my heavy backpack) and I try to read it whenever I get a free minute in between classes or wherever I am. I would also recommend reading a “fun” book at night in order to unwind, it allows you to think creatively and explore your imagination! (Both very good things if you ask me, the Creative Writing major).

In fact, I could share an essay I wrote about reading literature and why it’s so important, but I won’t because it isn’t very good. However, the gist of it is (according to my awesome Psychology major roomie: “So we’re not uncultured swine!” Basically, reading literature (and other great genres) allows us to learn, grow, and become our best selves. It shows us a side of society we might otherwise ignore. And it allows us to experience a world outside the world we know.

Why did my blog post about how to unwind turn into a lecture about why reading is good and even important? I have no idea. But I’m an English major, so that could be why.

2. Meditate! Meditation is a great way to focus on your body physically and mentally, and even spiritually. It allows you to consolidate everything and de-stress. I try to meditate on a daily basis, as it helps me to focus on the good and get rid of the bad in my life. Even if it’s just a couple minutes here and there, meditation is great for just getting in touch with what your body wants and needs.

Here is a blog I found via Pinterest that talks about how to meditate and the health benefits of doing so. It is a great resource! (By the way, Pinterest is a great resource for all of your Holistic needs. And there are tons of blogs out there on this stuff as well, so definitely look some of them up yourself!)

3. Last but not least on my very short list: Try yoga! Yoga is so good for all of your needs. You can literally type anything from “Yoga for flexibility” to “Yoga for stress relief” and find a video with a routine. It is the perfect (in my opinion) combination of exercise and meditation. It is one of my favorite things to do before I go to bed because it helps me to de-stress and stretch my muscles while I’m at it. It is also very relaxing. Definitely try it and let me know what you think!

This is just a short list of what I do in order to de-stress, but there are so many other ways of de-stressing that are completely holistic, and you may not even realize it! Crazy! If you have any questions or comments, leave a message below or on our facebook page. I love helping others to come into themselves and discover the benefits of living holistically. Love and light to all!

Live well,

Claire

Claire 1/22/16 “The Benefits of Writing”

By Claire

Now that we’ve talked about food and healthy eating, I thought I’d post about something else entirely. We’ve already gone over what it means to live holistically. We know it means living in such a way that we realize that everything is interconnected. This means that our physical bodies, spiritual well being, and mental health need to be in balance. It’s when they aren’t in balance that we start to feel sick in one or more areas of our lives.

So, you may be wondering: Claire, what does keeping writing have to do with living holistically? Well, let me tell you. Writing as a whole can be healing for your emotional and mental states. It allows you to release your emotions and work through your feelings in a safe zone where only you reside. It also helps you to manifest what exactly you want out of life. A lot of living holistically is learning to manifest what you want out of life. It is setting goals and accomplishing them. So, I’m going to provide a few ideas of how to write regularly and how they will help you to manifest your goals and dreams.

1. Blogging is a great way of writing about things that are important to you and sharing your thoughts with those around you. In fact, it’s an effective tool used by therapists with their clients. It is a way of working through your feelings and thoughts in a productive way, and it allows you to do research on cool interesting things! (Like right now I’m reading an article on journal writing in order to write this blog!)
2. Letter writing is another great way of writing regularly. In my creative non-fiction class a couple semester ago I was first introduced to this way of writing. Basically, you write a letter to someone or some entity that describes how you feel. This can be kept in a personal place where no one will ever read it, or you can share it with others. Either way it will benefit you by allowing you to work through your feelings freely.
3. Journal writing is another great way of writing regularly. Here is the article I mentioned about this. It said that if you write your daily to-do list down each day, and go over your goals, that you’ll learn to manifest them. How awesome is that?! In fact, I was reading more about keeping a planner or journal and found this awesome video that I’m hoping to try out soon. It sounds like it would really work for me and is just what I was looking for! I’ll tell you how it goes once I start.

I hope that these ideas gave you some awesome things to think about. After all, holistic living is about all aspects of your life being in balance, and writing is a great way to balance everything out. Also, please remember that you don’t have to be talented to be a good writer! Writing is all about getting your thoughts down on paper or on the computer screen in a productive way. Journaling and letter writing is private, so let your feelings flow. No one will be grading you. It requires work to develop a writing skill, but talent is such a small portion of it. Never give up!

Live well,

Claire