Note to Self. 40 spins around the sun have taught me this.....

Suddenly it all makes sense.

On the Eve of my 40 cycles around the earth, i felt blessed. I felt tremendous gratitude for my soul to have knocked on my door, and for my inner voice to have answered. I was at the Shivananda Ashram in the Bahamas, at awe, in the realization that my first introduction to Yoga came through the Shivananda Centre in Toronto in 1996, so long ago, and though I have travelled many paths through Yoga, it is here that I was on the eve of my 40th birthday.

As I celebrated 40 spins around the sun, and suddenly it all made sense.  Suddenly, there is a different depth of trust in life's grace and I no longer need to know all the details, of why and how, but rather I feel more at peace with where I am and I feel a more mature level of commitment for my spiritual practice that carries me through, day in and day out.  

Suddenly the voice that struggled for so long to find its path, has quietly found it.  Suddenly the weight of my broken heart has lifted and the veiled of the illusion of separateness has come together to show me that neither time nor space are real boundaries for the heart, and that I am here to experience and learn about love, unconditional love.

Separation found its way to my heart on the summer of 1991, when we immigrated to Canada.  We, my mother, myself and brother, left Venezuela 23 years ago in the midst of very corrupt governments  lack of social conscience, violence, attacks on our personal safety and personal freedoms. We became immigrants in what I thought at the time was a strange country, with a language I did not speak, a culture I couldn't relate to, a winter that chilled my bones, and a one way trip that broke my soul.  Tears rolled down my cheek for 365 days in a row, and every now and then, they still find their way out of the deep layers of my teenage heart onto the face of my 40 year old body.  I guess my scar hasn't fully healed, I guess home is always our first love, and a place no other place can ever replace.  But through these 23 years as an immigrant I began to heal my heart, I began to make it my home, I began to understand and feel the greatness of being where I am, being free to speak my truth, having my rights as a human, as a woman, as a mother, as a daughter, respected and valued. I began to appreciate in my body, the peace that exists around me.  I began to appreciate and become conscious of my freedom.  I began to understand the reasons of why we left, I began to understand that growing up in a beautiful yet violent city, had left a deep imprint of fear, anxiety, and worry within me, but it has also given me one of my most precious gifts: a social conscience. 

This social conscience that feels and sees too much, has led me to interact with the world through the lens of my camera, documenting all sort of stories about the human condition, the journey of social justice and human rights is one close to my heart.  Photographing stories of the human heart, stories of spiritual transformation, stories in places far away and close to home, opened new doors of perspective and awareness onto my journey and allowed me to have exposure to the spiritual ways of different cultures and traditions that otherwise I may not have had the opportunity to bare witness. 

This social conscience is the seed of my dharma, and though the way in which I am engaging with the world is changing, the seed is still the same.

I am and will always be a hope activist at heart. 

Through my healing journey over the last 5 years, I discovered that the road is never straight.  That it's full of wonderful twists and turns, detours, and doorways into the greater brave new worlds.  That it's full of serendipitous meetings that always leave an imprint in our souls.  The more we are able to connect within ourselves with our own sacrednesss we are able to also see the Universe- The Macrocosm symbolically at work within us and through us.

This year in particular I have surrendered to my heart, to the consciousness and the fire that burns within, and the reclaiming of the sacredness that resides deeper beyond the fire in my heart, deeper in the place where silence resides, where I feel most complete, most open, most vulnerable, most peaceful.  That space where I am truly myself, where I feel supported, nurtured and nourished by Spirit. 

Along the process I have tapped into the Ashram within,  the sacred space that has always been with us.  I have choosen to answer, to surrender, to melt away into the wings of consciousness.  In me, it took a healing crisis to take the leap of faith.  In me, it took the realignment of where my body, my heart and my soul needed to go vs where my mind thought it needed to go.  In me, it took the acceptance, that I can choose, not just cope, not just have to, not just carry on, but actually CHOOSE how I deal with what happens and the shifts that ripple out of my choice to align myself ever more deeply with my true self, with my soul and with Spirit.  It's given me great strength, awareness, and a deepening of my purpose.  It has sparked the REVOLUTION WITHIN and defined that what I used to call my creative dragon is the hope activist whithin.  For that I am grateful and I know in my bones that I am exactly where I need to be and where I prayed so long ago that I would be- home within.  

So as I sit on this last day of 2014, I think of all that came to pass, the twists and turns of my healing journey, and I bow into my heart with a big smile on my face and resonating with a big YES!!! and a big THANK YOU!! on my chest for heavy metals are officially OUT! and a new phase begins and the extention of the Revolution Within continues.  I'd like to think of it as a new phase of deeper integration.  And rather than make or think of my 2015 goals as resolutions, I rather think of them as a process of deeper alignment.  What and how do I choose to walk my line? What do I envision to create this year? What are the feelings, the everyday state of being that I wish to live from?  Gratitude, Love and Deep Trust are the first ones to come to mind.  How can I be of service and really, really make a difference in my community, in the world, in my life and yours? 

How can we inspire each other to bring about the best in us, and live, in trust that you will be there for me and that I will be there for you.  How can we create safer communities for our children and how can we teach them to walk their line ethically, carrying honesty and a deep love and respect for the world and the people of the world?

What are you thinking for this next year to come?  Allthough every day is a new opportunity to create shift and change within us and spark our own Revolution Within as we awaken the hope activist that resides in our hearts,  this time of the year gifts us the opportunity to synch into ourselves a little deeper and begin to write a new chapter in our lives.  Time, well, she goes.  We keep spining around the sun.  What have your spins taught you?  What are the dreams you dream as we spin?  When will you start living your dreams, living what you love and in the process spark your own Revolution Within and tap into your own hope activist?

I don't have your answers.  They are only yours to be found, to be lived, to be surrendered to, to be choosen by you and only you.  You know yourself best, and most importantly it's your life.  It's your journey back to you.

On these 40 spins around the sun, and on this last day of 2014, I feel blessed, grateful, hopeful and inspired to dive deeper into the realms of alignment of body, heart, mind and soul.  I feel my compass has been set.  It is driven by my heart and the hope activist within, and it knows only one way forward. So what do you say, are you ready to roll up your sleeves and dive deeper within?

Quote of the day:

Say not, "I have found the truth," but rather, "I have found a truth."  Say not, "I have found the path of the soul."  Say rather, "I have met the soul walking upon my path."  For the soul walks upon all paths.  The soul walks not upon a line, neither does it grow like a reed.  The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals.  ~Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, 1923

The Power of the Human Heart....

I hope all is well, wherever you may be.  I recently had the opportunity to photograph my friend Maickel Melamed walk the Chicago Marathon 2013, he was the last man to cross the line with a time of 16hr46min. Yes, you read it right.  I wrote an article along with a photo essay of his journey that was published by Elephant Journal Magazine. So please have a read!

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/10/the-power-of-the-human-heart-natalie-schonfeld-howard/

Maickel is an incredible person, with an even more incredible soul. He has made it his mission to inspire people worldwide to follow their dreams!, to reach out! and make them happen despite challenges, circumstances and obstacles that appear along the way.  As Maickel says, "Your life is the most beautiful gift you have."  And with that comes the power of Choice.  I am not sure where in the world you are reading this from, but here in Canada, we have the freedom of speech, most of us have the power to choose our lives and make our dreams happen.  But through conditioning, or limited beliefs we close ourselves to the world, we close ourselves to ourselves.  We stop believing.  We stop believing in our selves and in our potential for change, for peace, for a better world.  It is when we encounter inspirational people like Maickel that have made it happen for themselves that a spark gets lit within and we find ourselves making different choices, or perhaps making the same choice with a different awareness.

A deeper question comes up for me, how can I be of service to the world, became a charged inspirational seed for others and how do I extend a hand to those who do not experiences the same personal liberties that I do?  I don't know what the answer is, but I know that it is within my heart.  Perhaps it is within yours too.

So for now, I offer you a read, sit with it... and allow it to touch your heart and let it blossom.

I previously wrote about Maickel on Day5 of my juice fast... long long ago!

May your days be filled of conscious choices,
In peace,
Naty Howard.

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My heart goes out to Boston, my thoughts and resilience are with Venezuela, my spirit gathers strength with Amnesty International for there is much to do in this world.

My heart goes out to Boston, to everyone who participated, from runners to supporters, from individuals to families... I think of you. The world thinks of you.

My thoughts and resilience are with Venezuela, where elections were held a few days ago and the layers of corruption have yet again taken over the process of democracy.

I am inspired by those who extend their hand in the midst of chaos, those who keep on advocating for a just world, where human rights are met for one and all. In the midst of it all, these stories rise to the top, and I thank you for being a ray of sunshine on dark days. We stand for those who may not have the opportunity or freedom to stand, we speak for those who may not have the opportunity or freedom to speak, we act for those we may not have the opportunity or freedom to act, for themselves, their children, their country.

There is a quote by the Dalai Lama the XIV that I would like to share with you...

“There is a saying in Tibetan, ‘Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.’ No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that’s our real disaster.”

Hope carries us through. I believe Hope combined with Action has the power to change each and everyone of us, our immediate community and the world at large.

My spirit gathers strength with Amnesty International.. and that was really my blog today, but I just couldn't let the two previous events go unspoken. This is my second year participating in Amnesty International's Canadian Yoga Day. A day to raise funds for Women's Human Rights. 

I am a strong advocate of human rights, where does this feeling or need to act come from? For me it comes from growing up in Caracas, Venezuela and, as a child and young adult, baring witness to one to many violations of human rights. It comes from my work as a photojournalist seeking justice in my heart, trying to raise awareness about current social-political situations and baring witness to the unthinkable. Today, as a mother of 3, having found some peace within myself with the fact that the I may not be able to bring justice to every situation I encounter, but I can focus on educating my children so that they can become shiny just beings with open hearts. I can take part in creating awareness in my own community, from human rights to the local food movement, I can participate in events like Yoga Day were my efforts have a direct influence on someone else's life for the better.

So come on out for Amnesty International Yoga Day Marathon !! Come for one class, stay for all!

If you are on lands far away, you can still help and participate... you can donate! you can create your own event! Ask your Yoga Studio to get involved! Spread the goods and make it a world wide event! Actually you can create any event you want as a fundraiser for Nasrin... go on... gather your hope along with your action.. its time! Post it... what event will you create? what event will you participate... anything from Potlucks to Yoga! keep it simple, the canvas is yours... It would be fun to see what you come up to.... take some pics and post them up.. lets see if we can go around the world with this one! 

Brr.. honey it's cold outside! Its time to warm the heart up..

What better time to connect with the energy of Love than when its -10C outside and the mother Snow Fall, right?

It's time to open our hearts and warm them up!

It's time to connect with Love, it's time to share the goods and as importantly it's time to receive them back tenfold! I believe if we follow through with our intentions, if we hold them present in our mind through our day, if we commit to ourselves to pursue them, to pursue inner peace, love, happiness whatever it is you wish to pursue...  if we continue to show up...  IT happens. IT comes to us. IT fills our lives and our hearts until there only is room for IT.

So to celebrate whatever IT means to you in this cold February month I want to share a few things in hope of offering warmth and love to your hearts.... ready? of course you are...

so here we go..

Something borrowed, 

something blue, 

something old, 

something new, 

something rawllygood!

SOMETHING BORROWED: INSPIRATION

I would have to say one of the best things I borrow is inspiration. People, Things, Doings that keep me going, that bring a smile to my face, and the feeling of peace to my heart. Its quite easy to go through our days in autopilot mode. I have been there plenty of days.. but what happens when we take the time to do things differently?. When we start the day by reading something that inspires us, when we start the day with a warm embrace, when we go the extra mile for a stranger nearby, the day just simply seems to be a better day...

A few of my favourite borrowed inspirations are:

books by the Dalai Lama
Raw Food cookbooks (I just love them too much!)
dreaming of playing in my Garden when spring comes around!
Chanting music by Brenda McMorrow to meditate with
Singing Bowls music by Darren Austin Hall
Deepak Chopra
Kriss Carr
Caroline Dupont
Ananda Yoga Studios
Art Galleries
anything that makes me stop, breathe and smile!

RECIPE WITH SOMETHING BORROWED:  Homemade KOMBUCHA (Fermented Tea Drink)

Kombucha is a brew of fermented tea that is jam packed with probiotics, it alkalizes the body, it is high in antioxidants, and it is believed to aid in digestions, improve metabolism, and detoxify the liver. I love it when the list of goodness is long... 

There are many ways of making Kombucha, but to start it one must have a Scoby starter, you can either borrow one or buy one.. I personally believe in the power of passing on the goodness, and the goodness of a Kombucha Scoby came to me from my friend Kim. A Scoby is the spore that ferments the tea, and during the process of fermentation it gets bigger filling up the top of your glass jar (if you do it that way). The process of fermentation can last anywhere between 10- 14 days depending on your conditions (how cold/hot/dark/light your environment is). The Scoby spore itself is not to be consumed, but rather kept in about an inch of the fermented tea and to be used in your next batch of Kombucha. If you are brewing more Kombucha for your next batch, you can always cut a Scoby and divide it for your next batches (as always, one must thank it first for the love it is brewing for our bodies! then cut, and pass it on to your next batch or to your dear friend who can't believe you have gonne wild and have 19 jars of Kombucha brewing at the same time!). Yeap, got a bit too excited there... I am in my experimental brewing phase! ha.

Anyway back to the real thing... the shorter your brewing time, the sweeter the Kombucha will be. The longer your leave it to Brew the more Sour it will get... It's a beautiful thing! It's really up to you. 

Once the Kombucha has brewed, transfer the fermented brew onto a clean glass jar and store in the fridge. Leave the Scoby spore in the previous glass jar with at least 1 inch of brew (a cup of brew would be wonderful! -if you are making a large batch that you can offer a cup to your Scoby). Scobys DONT like the fridge:) 

What is that I heard? How much Kombucha to drink? Start slow. Everyone is different. Some people can do 4 oz of Kombucha, for some 1oz is enough until their bodies get used to its superpowers! Now that being said Homemade Kombucha is quite different than store bought Kombucha... try it out!

Now here is how to make Kombucha :

For a 1 liter (4 cup) brew you will need:

 *Sterile glass jars (wide mouth works best) or glass containers to fit the amount of tea volume you will be brewing. Write your love & gratitude dedication to your Kombucha prior to filling the jars up... kind of easier to do.

*A piece of cloth or folded paper towel to cover the mouth of the jar or top of you container (no cheesecloth, the thread is too loose and fruit flies might come to see what is happening in your town!)

*1 large elastic band to secure the cheesecloth or folded paper towel

*4 cups of spring water (good quality water, no tap water please

*1/2 cup organic (if possible) cane sugar or RAW organic honey

*2 bags or 2 TSPN of tea (Oolong, Green, White, Black, Ginger, and so on)

(any herbal tea can be used for flavour, my suggestion is that you keep the tea clean and free of additives. READ your tea labels, you might be surprised to see a few too many non recognizable- not so- friendly "friends" in there. )

* a borrowed (now adopted) Scoby spore and starter liquid (the inch, hopefully few inches your scoby is happily swimming in)

* heaps and bounds of Love & Gratitude, and I will show you why!

Bring the water to boil. 

Remove from heat. 

Let it cool down and add the sugar, and mix it up until dissolved. If you are using RAW honey it is best to let the water cool down to lukewarm temperature before adding the RAW honey. 

Add the tea bags or loose tea (you will have to strain or use a reusable tea bag for the loose tea). Let it steep for at least 10 minutes (depends how strong you like your brews, so have fun and experiment with it). 

Remove tea bags or filter out leaves.

Let it cool down to room temperature.

Pour into your glass container or jar (S!)

Add the Scoby spore and started liquid.

Cover with the cloth of folded paper towel. Secure with elastic band.

Leave to ferment at room temperature, covered and out of the light for 10 -14 days. Now sometimes your Kombucha can be ready in as little as 7 days! So keep checking it and tasting it until you get an idea of your Kombucha's synergestic environmental cosmic dance! Remember it's alive and brewing.. 

Now I had said before that I was gonna show you why I am so into the heaps and bounds of Love & Gratitude... a few months ago I wrote about HADO WATER and the power of prayer and intention to change molecular structures. So I decided to experiment a bit.. ok ok  A LOT! with my Kombucha. I decided I was gonna brew Kombucha and give it to my friends as a Holiday gift.. as a way of passing on the goodness.... So I made labels that had an image of the photograph of a water molecule that was exposed with the prayer & intention of LOVE & GRATITUDE as well as goodness wishes. I then placed the Kombucha near some quartz stones... now I had a lot of jars going.. and there were a few that I didn't put the label on.... and guess what!!!! YEA! The LOVE & GRATITUDE Kombuchas placed by the Quartz stones had the most beautiful Scobies!!! White and even all around, thick and lovely!
The ones that were not totally beside the stones where nice but not shinning beauties if you know what I mean, the ones without the label where sad looking, deformed, miserable beings!

There you go.... AMAZING! 

See it for your selves:

Love & Gratitude Shining Beauty Kombucha placed by a clear quartz stone.

Sad looking, deformed Kombucha (sorry I threw out the mouldy ones faster than I could think 'Hey lets write about it!', but you can just imagine it.)







Have fun with it! If you live around my area, I will be happy to share scobies with you! For those on far away lands.. check with your health stores or health practitioners, you might be happily surprised!

Now stay tunned for something BLUE! it will soon be coming to you....
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Quote of the Day
"Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love." - Mother Teresa
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My wishes for you...

Well, first things first. Happy New Year! a bit late I know.. but my wishes were with you as we celebrated and accepted the comings of the New Year! Life has been busy with everyone at home and I haven't had a chance to sit my bottom down to write. I have missed it. You see, I write to the great unknown out there, but I also write to the very well known in here, and it feels good.

May it bring many blessings to you and your loved ones, may it be filled with laughter and love, may it be filled with radiant health and the gift of joy, may it bring forth the realization of your most heart felt and desired dreams and may it bring you closer to Spirit.

Now that the wheels of the New Year are well under way and the pressure of the famous last 'resolutions' is off, perhaps a more realistic and compasionate look at the year past is possible, perhaps a more honest look within your heart at what you want to bring forth in your life this year is also possible. I find for myself, I have so many dreams and desires in so many directions it's just hard to keep up with all of them! simply impossible, yet I dream away, yet I plant seeds that perhaps will take years to grow and harvest.. yet I feel the heartfelt desire to bring it on, and let things happen and find the balance between living lightly on this earth and grounding deep roots for my breath to spread.

Here are a few of my Resolutions, some are big, some are small... all take inspiration in the creative potential that life has to manifest the seeds we plant.

1.- Be more present (even when I dream!). Be more realistic of where I am at, of the circumstances that are my current reality.

2.- Become a more positive gardener of my mind-garden. Become very aware and conscious of the seeds I am planting today. TODAY is my future in the making. NOW matters more than what I sometimes consciously accept. Focus on the positive, make it grow, nurture and nourish it to the point there is simply no room left for the negative.

3.- Do more things that FEEL GOOD. Yes we all have duties and responsibilities, but often we (i) get lost in them and in taking care of everyone around us (me). And all though, that feels good, it is not the same  as finding things that make me feel really good with an open heart about this beautiful life, away from duties and responsibilities...

4.- Meditate on a daily basis. Deeply connect with nature and Spirit. Have breathing time. Quiet time. Rejuvenation time.

5.- Nourish my heart and listen to the voice within. I don't know about you, but I have periods of great intuition and I have periods of where has my intuition gone?. So nourishing my heart and staying more connected to it is something I want to pursue this year.

6.-Eat Rawllygood Nourishing Deliscious Foods, and of course, share them with you!

7.-Do something totally new to me.  (Nope I can't pull it out of the bag yet!)

8.- I could keep going on, but I think I will stop right here.....

What is your revised version of your plan for this year! I got lots of details to sort out, and lots of details to write down... but I like the element of surprise and organic brewing (if you can call it that) in my life.

Whatever it is, make it honest, make it real, feel it within your heart, take off the family/community pressure 'cause really this is about you and your sense of self, your growth, your ride.

I wish for you days filled with bliss, days filled with rain to wash away what you no longer need and to bring new energy into your lives, days filled with earth supporting your feet, days filled with wind carrying you to soaring heights, days filled with the fire of love, lots and lots of love, and last but not least, days filled with the vibration of your breath reaching every corner of your being.


On that note...
Here is a recipe for a Glass of Bliss Smoothie shall you need it on your many wonderful days ahead.

Glass of Bliss Smoothie

1 banana
3 Tbsp of Raw Cacao Nibs
2 Tbsp of fresh mint leafs (or more for a more minty flavour)
3 dates
1 (or 2) droppers of Marine Phytoplancton
1/2 tsp Schinoussa SeaVegetable Powder
1 tsp hemp seeds
2 cups of nut mylk of your choice (almond is nice and sweet)  or water (Hado water even better! or Almond mylk made with Hado water!)
Pinch of sea salt

Blend it all up, you want to have some of the Cacao Nibs chunks in there. Yum.
Note: my body doesn't need large amounts of protein. So the amounts of SeaVegetables and Hemps seeds are little. If you find your body does well with more, by all means up it up!
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Quote of the Day
"I wish for you the wisdom to live only in present time, pursue only what gives you joy and the awareness of how useful these two choices are. And one more: Let compassion to yourself and specially to others, be always in your thinking and in your actions." CZ 
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Announcements
The 40 day meditation practice that started all this is coming up again. It is called "AWinter Feast for the Soul". Starts on January 15th. It is a wonderful way of connecting to the community at large and to experiment with different paths of meditation, and be supported along the way.
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Book I recommend
"Nourishing Wisdom", a mind-body approach to nutrition and Well-Being, by Marc David.
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