Claire 4/15/2016 “Why Living a Holistic Lifestyle Makes Sense”

Hey everyone! I am so sorry that I wasn’t able to post a couple of weeks ago. I have been so busy with school and passing my classes that I haven’t really thought about much else. Especially since I was also singing in two very big events this past semester and was focusing all my time and energy on homework and memorizing and singing the words to the songs we sang. But here is my blog post for this week, all about why living holistically makes sense.

We’ve talked a little about what a Holistic Lifestyle is in general and ways you can live a Holistic Lifestyle, but we haven’t talked much about why it makes sense in more detail. So, I am going to explain why a Holistic Lifestyle makes sense not only as a person, but also as a member of my church: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Living Holistically is all about realizing that Mind, Body, and Spirit need to be aligned and working together efficiently in order to be happy and have a healthy body. Knowing this, the happier you are the more you are balanced in these three aspects. But let me explain a little more about what I mean by Mind, Body, and Spirit.

Mind is all about keeping your brain healthy. It’s continually learning and using your brain rather than doing menial tasks that require little to no brain power. Your body is at its peak when you are using your brain to solve problems. This is why we are encouraged to never stop learning, keep growing and changing, keep finding new things that make your heart happy and you smile your brightest smile! It’s good! It means you are open and willing to change and become a better person. Always strive for that.

Body is exactly what it sounds like. It’s what your mind and spirit live in, so it is especially important to keep your body healthy. It’s eating healthy, exercising regularly, staying safe and knowing how to protect yourself from outside harm. Remember, when you are sick your mind and spirit aren’t as able to think or feel the spirit. When you are in shape and healthy you feel more energy to do the things you love and to learn more!

Spirit is all about your emotions and your beliefs. It allows us to feel connected and open to generations of people who came before us. Spirit means meditation, continually learning about what you believe in, and just generally practicing your beliefs. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that means that I try to pray to God morning and night, and read my scriptures daily, as well as meditating on a regular basis. Remember, God can only speak to us when we are willing and connected to our spiritual side.

If used effectively, these three aspects will heighten your life and patterns. If your mind is healthy it’s probably a good sign that your body is also in good shape and if you are in shape and your mind is healthy you are better able to practice your spirituality. It all works together as a whole.

So, keep learning and striving for knowledge, spirituality, and health! They all work together to create a happy and healthy life!

Live well,

Claire

Katie 3/25/16 “10 Herbs for Wilderness Emergency First Aid”

Last week, there was this great online conference called the Plant Medicine Summit. I listened in to as many recorded podcasts as I could before they expired (they were only posted for free for 48 hours, unfortunately). I am really eager to share some notes I took from those presentations! It was all about using nature as medicine.

One presentation in particular was exactly what I had been listening for: a detailed breakdown of which plants are good for what purpose. Nicholas Schnell talked about how to use herbs in the wild for emergency first aid. He seemed like the kind of guy who had experienced some crazy adventures in his life. His knowledge of plants and their powerful properties was so inspiring to me. I want to be him when I grow up.

I shall share my notes about the 10 herbs he went over in the podcast.

Yarrow

Nicholas told us something really amazing about yarrow. One of his friends cut his leg down to the bone with a machete, so they put yarrow tincture  on the open wound. Within a minute, the bleeding had stopped. I find that to be so impressive! Something like this can mean the difference between life and death, depending on how long it takes medical assistance to arrive.

Yarrow is good for the blood and regulating blood flow. Some other beneficial uses are for bloody noses, hemorrhoids, menstrual flow, and such. It will calm or stop bleeding if taken internally for these things. You can also use it topically for cuts, bruises, blisters, hematomas, toothaches, mouth sores, and for pain.

Yarrow is also good for helping with digestion, acid reflux, and Crohn’s disease. If you have a cold, flu, or fever, put yarrow into your bath and it will help you get well faster. He said that plants also have spiritual properties, and that yarrow can be a boost for mental fortitude.

Calendula

Also known as marigold, but make sure you have the right genus. This lovely flower is good for wounds, bruises, inflammation, swelling, and scars. It can soften old scars and also help new wounds to heal without a scar. Use topically for chronic pain. It fights fungal infections, yeast infections, thrush, and similar infections. The spiritual property of this plant is for healing spiritual wounds. It can be good for people who beat themselves up or have damaged sensitivity in their soul. Sounds as good as Mother’s kisses on our owies!

Echinacea root

Story time again! Nicholas was out hiking with his friends when one of them realized he had been bitten, his arm swelling rapidly. Turns out later it was a brown recluse spider bite. Nicholas was carrying echinacea tincture on him and they applied that to the bite. The brown recluse has a nasty bite, taking weeks for the inflammation to die down and sometimes causing permanent nerve damage to the area. In this case with the use of echinacea, the swelling was gone in a few days and healing up great, no damage done.

That being said, it’s pretty self-explanatory that echinacea is good for venomous bites of all kinds. Apply it to bites from ticks, spiders, snakes, etc. It can be taken internally or topically. Echinacea is powerful for infection. It will heal chronic infection, even if it’s the kind that has been dragging your energy down for years. It kills bacteria and is a great assist to viral infections. You definitely want this in your medicine cabinet!

Blackberry root

This is good for your gut. It alleviates diarrhea, food poisoning, and the flu. You can brew tea or make a syrup from the root for infants as well as adults. You could also soak it in vinegar for a week and press it out and take that internally for another form. The spiritual properties of blackberry are fascinating. You can hang a bunch above the bed for help with spiritual and psychic disturbances, being afraid of the dark, and protection from darkness. It can help you to be opened up to psychic experiences and overcoming suppressed intuition if you’ve struggled with that. I would love to see some examples of this and test if this old belief is truly effective!

Chamomile

Chamomile also makes good baths as it is very calming. It will help alleviate anxiety taken as tea or aromatically. It is really good for aches, cramps, and pain from ailments such as stomach ache, intestinal issues, food poisoning, and even overeating. It is also good for acid reflux. In essence, it’s a powerful digestive aid.

Elderflower

The berry from this plant is more commonly used medicinally (and deliciously), but the flower is also potent in its healing abilities. It can be used for all ages, like blackberry. Make a tea from the flowers for colds, flu, and fever. In the case of skin rashes, chickenpox, and other such skin issues, a bath with these flowers would be a great relief. Taking it internally also alleviates skin problems.

Plantain leaf

Take this internally for relief for sinus allergies. Use it topically as a poultice on a wound for increased healing effects, or to help remove slivers, bee stings, and metal shavings. It helps move things to the surface of your skin so you can pull them out.

Ginger

You probably already have an idea of ginger’s health properties, especially when it comes to helping with digestion and stomach issues. Take it in a tea with some honey for nausea, vomiting, indigestion, overeating, and etc. Due to its “hot” nature, it is also effective in clearing mucus. I made ginger and thyme tea when I had some really bad congestion, and it cleared me up right away. It’s delicious with some honey. I will definitely be drinking it any time I feel a bit stuffy!

Goldenseal root

This is a great antibacterial plant that can fight a myriad of things. It kills bacterial and sinus infections, lung infections, and is also good in cases of food poisoning, drinking bad water, intestinal issues, and other stomach issues. You can also use it topically for ruptured discs. Powerful stuff!

St John’s Wort

Last but not least! This can be made into an oil (add it to olive oil or jojoba) or poultice and applied to burns for some much needed relief, including sunburns. It also is awesome for nerve pain or inflammation, and general pain relief and calming of muscles. Spiritually, it is used for overcoming old habits, coming to the light, and healing from spiritual trauma or dark intentions placed upon you.

I hope you learned something new! I sure did. May we apply this awesome knowledge to our lives and be the healthier and more protected for it! In my next post, I’ll share what I learned about using herbs for children and some skin care products you can make yourself from herbs.

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

Katie 1/15/16: "Restore Your Power"

Welcome back!

Today, we’re going to “start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.” I find that when things are sequential and build upon each other, it is simpler to understand. “Precept upon precept; line upon line” (Isaiah 10:28).

We begin with the most basic question: What is holistic living? Some definitions follow:

“Characterized by comprehension of the parts of something as intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole.”

“Encompassing the whole of a thing, and not just the part. Holistic medicine looks at the whole person for answers, not just at physical symptoms.”

Everything is connected. Your childhood affects how you react to stressors, your reaction affects your choices and health, your choices affect your life, your health affects your quality of life. We already understand that. What we aren’t taught though, is how to advance our lives from lack and sickness to abundance, perfect health, inner peace, joy, and freedom.

In our modern American culture, we are dependent consumers. We don’t grow our food (In 2009, 37% of Americans grew their own gardens. Link #1 below), we don’t make our clothing, we don’t build our houses or furniture, we don’t repair our cars. The list goes on and on. I am in no way saying that having tradesmen and specialized professions is detrimental, quite the opposite. It is wonderful to have skilled people doing what they are good at and being able to make a living off it. Not all of us have the time and talent to provide for all of our needs.

The detriment with consumer culture is that we eat what is fed to us. We don’t have to look far for products that boast miraculous things, and we don’t do more than read warning labels. We are lied to every day, but we don’t even see it anymore. Too few of us question and dig for answers. We’ve given up our power in exchange for instant gratification and convenient access.

The people who are in control of our food and medicine do not have our best interests in mind. The animals we eat live in dirt or cages and are pumped full of hormones, no matter what your packaging says. Yes, grass fed and cage free is a step in the right direction, but it’s still full of antibiotics and growth hormones. If you bought it at the grocery store, it’s probably not good for you.

Your fruits and vegetables are sprayed with poison to keep bugs away, then dowsed in chemical fertilizer to try and get them to grow in hard dirt, and showered in tons of water in an attempt to keep them hydrated since they don’t have strong root systems or living soil to keep them alive. Farms get bigger and bigger every year because they are producing less and less. This unnatural way of growing plants isn’t working, and our land and water and bodies are paying for it.

Even organic isn’t organic. They spray things to make them keep longer on the shelf. Once something is picked, it loses 80% of its mineral properties within 10 MINUTES. Not hours, minutes! (see link #2 to read a bit about why.) Organic farmers have to do some non-organic things to get their food to last long enough from field to truck, truck to grocery store, then store to your fridge.

You wonder why you’re sick and tired and allergic and overweight? It’s because there is no live, clean food available to us at the grocery store. We’re all being poisoned (watch link #3).

My friends, there is a war being waged on us. If we do not take our food back into our own hands, we will continue to be unhealthy, pained, diseased, and obese. We are living in a time when almost all of our food is unsafe. It sucks. It’s evil. Why has this happened? Let’s think of who the god of this world is. God created the earth, but who rules the flesh? It’s Satan. He is the father of all lies. He spreads corruption and sin. He is in control now of our food industry, because he knows how much power he holds over us with it.

We have to fight back. We have to reclaim our right to health and wellness. If you want to be skinny, you have to grow your own food. If you want to be pain free, you have to grow your own food. If you want to be healed of your diseases, you have to grow your own food.

Please understand: you can grow your own food, and it will be simple.

You’ve been told lies your entire life about how much work it is to garden. No one will profit from you feeding your family by your own labors, so of course you’ve been lied to. Where is the money in telling you how capable you are, and how easy it is?

The thing about God is that he’s simple. His truth is simple, even a child can understand. His yoke is easy, and his burden is light. He tells us to ask and we shall receive! He doesn’t say, “Ask, and I will make you go on this long, roundabout journey to find an answer and it will be really difficult.” He says receive. It’s instant.

He loves us. He wants us to be happy. In Nephi 2: 25 it reads: “Adam fell that men might be, and men are, that they might have joy.” God put us here to gain experience and physical bodies, which allow us to have families and to progress! He never set us up to fail. He’s given us all good things. Read the first chapter of Genesis. Not once does it say that God made bad things. He saw that each thing he made was good. It was important to him to bless us, not curse us.

I truly believe that His yoke is easy. This is why I am so excited to share my findings with you. I want all of us to live abundant, healthy, joyful lives. If we live after God’s way, we can be nothing but blessed! Sin and lies are what make life hard and painful. That is Satan’s way, not the Lord’s.

Here are the solutions to the food crisis.

Clean animals make healthy bi-products. Buy your meat from local farmers who don’t fill their animals with shots and let them graze all day. Buy eggs from chickens who eat bugs and plants, instead of the sad hens locked in filthy cages and fed grain. Hunt wild animals. They have never been touched by growth hormones or antibiotics and feed solely on organic matter (do all of this legally, so we can begin to improve our rights as citizens).

Grow a Back to Eden garden. It is simple, suits your needs, feeds your family year round, and will be the best food you’ve ever had. Link #4 will show you exactly how to do this. I will also be chronicling my own experience with a Back to Eden style garden this year. You don’t need much space, you don’t need much water, and you don’t need much work! You will be amazed at the perfection God designed for us to partake of! And it’s all free from the Lord!

To return to my previous statement about advancing the quality of our lives, the first step is always a shift in consciousness. You have to become aware that something isn’t true before you can find the truth. Shift with me now. Shift to trusting God, that He will direct your paths if you let him. Proverbs 3:5-10 is powerful. If we depart from evil, it will bring health to us. That is amazing. The more connected we are to God, the more healthy. The happier. This holistic thing gets so clear. God doesn’t overwhelm us. He tells us to start where we are and trust Him to guide us. Wow!

Living holistically isn’t hard, it isn’t a burden, it isn’t unpleasant. It’s a joy! You restore your power as a divine being. Let’s move forward in joy together! Keep following us, and please leave comments, suggestions, and questions. This is our journey together as children of God. We can do all things in Him, who strengthens us!

Live well,

Katie

1. Home gardening on the rise
2. Nutrient loss in fruits and veggies
3. Powerful message on the crap we are fed
4. BACK TO EDEN GARDEN