Dear Diary: Have you heard the news.. I'm radioactive!

Dear Diary: Have you heard the news.. I got my results from my last chelation test a few days ago.. and

tadah! .. I'm radioactive!!! beauty isn't it?.. well, well.. I always knew I was special and had many talents.. but this one.. I had no idea of it's existence! I guess I still have many more talents to uncover.. which is always a delight, specially when it's a juicy one like this one. As it happens my levels of Cadmium, Cesium, Gadolinium, Lead, Nickel, and Thallium are way outside reference numbers.. specially the Thallium. The good thing is that the test measures what is coming out of your body. So I guess it's a good thing that all these are coming out of me. A few of them have gone down, like Mercury and a few others. As of this test Thallium is highest on the score sheet. Thallium.. mmhh.. where on earth did I pick that one up? I have been trying to figure it out.. haven't come to a conclusion yet.. but I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, Thallium is a toxic element and is radioactive. It was employed as a rodent killer- it is odourless and tasteless- but household use of this poison has been prohibited in most western countries. 

MMhhhh. Well, well, well. As we may have come to know the Venezuelan standards are not currently up to date. Never mind 30 years ago. So who knows if Thallium was in household products to kill ants, cockroaches (sorry, don't want to gross you out- but they were part of my reality) , bugs and the sort of stuff that is common in third world countries. As a competitive swimmer I grew up between the waters of a high chemical swimming pool and the waters of a "only the fish know and don't want to tell" perhaps highly contaminated ocean... 

As we (humans) become more aware of what we have done to ourselves and our environment, it is even more important to clean our act together, not only for ourselves but for the future of our children on this earth. It is our responsibility, no other, to be aware of what we put in our bodies, on our bodies and what into the world that sustains us.

As I left my Dr.'s office I felt anger and baaahhh and the feeling of not some more, please! But the feeling quickly changed into an empowerment of staying on the bright side of life and counting the many Blessings present in my life. It's definitely been a long journey to get to this point, but I am here, pain free, meds free, full of life and spirit to conquer it all one breathe at a time. So really, it is all good.

The way I see it, I am giving my body the best nutrition possible to flush the rest of the stuff out, at the same time planting new beautiful seeds of health in me to create a brave new vibrant healthy body. I have reconnected with my spirit and feel a deep joy and deep love for this life that I hadn't felt before.. so keep on truckin'.. keep on lovin'... keep on breathing... and keep on trying new things you have never tried before! Like Rambutan! 

Delicious Rambutan is a beautiful tropical fruit found throughout Southeast Asia, Central and the north part of South America. In Central and South America it is known as "Mamon Chino" or simply "Mamon". I grew up eating tons of Mamones, but in Venezuela they are brown on the outside and not as spectacular as these ones!

Rambutan is a fruit rich in Vitamin C, it contains plant-based anti-oxidants known as flavonoids that are believed to reduce cholesterol and be anti-cancerous and anti-inflammatory. It contains potassium, iron, beta carotene or vitamin A, and a little Calcium, Magnesium zinc, sodium, niacin, fiber and protein. It has therapeutic properties and is used through out Southeast Asia to help kill intestinal parasites. 

A quote made it's way to me the day of my Chelation test results.. it said: "In life there are only 3 choices: to give in, to give up, or to give it all you got."

You can guess which one I am choosing...

In the spirit of giving it all you've got, have a happy holiday season... my holiday wish for you is to honour where you come from, be opened minded about the different paths of those around you, show up to your life and live it like you mean it. Choose to manifest your wildest dreams, I can not guarantee you a smooth ride, but it will definitely be the ride of your life! May vibrant health, peace and joy find their way to your heart. 

To me, it is simply an inspiration of nature's potentiality for beauty and the healing gentle powers of structured wildness if there is such a thing!. Look at it! Even better, eat it after you look at it. Savour its structured wildness yet gentle medicine. 

Radioactively & Radiantly yours,

Naty

So how goes the goods? dusting off the seed of hope...

Almost there... day 19th out of 21... or perhaps you will be ready to keep the moments of stillness integrated into your life until the end of times...

How is your meditation practice going? Have you been able to find some quiet in midst of our very busy lives? Have you been able to tap into your own source of stillness, where all power, healing, and creation stem from?

Some days are easier than others, even within our meditation practice. Some days I seem to be instantly transported to that place, some days the chatter and the rest of my life seems to offer 'little (or BIG) roadblocks'.. but what can you do... accept accept accept... and keep on showing up...

One day perhaps we might stumble upon our own seed of hope. Hope most likely means something different to all of us, or perhaps it means something different on different days to each of us. To me, hope is the source of unlimited creative potential to be the best possible version of myself I can be to myself and to those around me. On some days, hope means being in radiant vibrant health, or my child's loving embrace at the end of the day. Tonight it means praying for world peace, a few nights ago it meant having peace at the dinner table. Hope is powerful, simple, profound. Hope can be as simple as wishing to create healthier habits in our lives.

Dusting off the seed of hope might just allow us to take action in our lives in the direction of our deepest of heart's desires. So I invite you, to take a breath, or two, and find your seed of hope. Embrace it and allow it to surprise your life with wonder and happiness.

If you have a meditation practice or have recently developed one, or you are still trying to find time, or a place, or the consistancy of showing up.... the fact that we commit to ourselves even just 5 minutes of our day to meditate and find our own seed of hope is a huge step of the process....

Embrace new rituals that bring you peace and witness the joy revolution!

So here is a little early holiday present from me to you...


HEALING ENERGY MEDITATION

Sit in lotus or in a comfortable position.

Close your eyes and take 5 deep breaths, make a letting go sound "aahhhh" as you exhale.

Now take a few more breaths quietly.

Go into the quiet place within you. Bring your awareness to your breath.

If at any point your inner chatter takes over, don't fight it, just keep on coming back to your breath.

Focus your attention on the top of your head.. your crown chakra.

Visualize a beam of healing cosmic golden energy come into your body through the crown chakra. Feel its warmth and radiance come into your body, visualize it coming into your body like water flowing on  a stream.

Cosmic golden energy flows into your whole body. Focus on the FEELING of flow of energy as you scan your body, feel the energy move within. Scan your body from top to bottom. Eventually you will feel energy flow into your head, face, neck, arms, chest..  follow its flow into your lower abdomen, hips, legs, knees, ankles, and feet.

Imagine and feel your whole body being filled with warmth as if a candle was lit within you, reaching to every nook, corner and cell of your body.

Stay in this space as long as you want to.

Slowly become aware of your breath.

Bring your right hand to your lower abdomen and your left hand to your heart. Breath deeply into your lower abdomen, feel the movement of your abdomen with your right hand. Feel your heart beat with your left hand. Express gratitude to yourself and to your life and heart's desires.

Slowly open your eyes and stretch your body.

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"Plant the seed of meditation and reap the fruit of peace of mind."- 

Happy 100th post! and Join the free 21 day meditation guided by Deepak Chopra- Starts Nov. 5th.

Happy 100th post! Can you believe it and to celebrate it Deepak Chopra is hosting a free 21 day meditation journey!

Just kidding. Deepak Chopra is holding the free 21 day meditation journey, but it has nothing to do with this blog. I just like to celebrate the occasion of the 100th post with the sharing of the information about the meditation journey.

We have all heard of the wonderful effects that Meditation can have on our lives. We have all perhaps meditated for some time, only to be carried away from it by our daily lives, or perhaps we still show up day in and day out to witness our breath.

Some of the benefits of Meditation are:
"It reduces stress, it lowers blood pressure, it disciplines the mind, cultivates peace, purifies the mind, connects us at a deeper level with our intuition, it induces clarity of vision and thinking, it improves concentration and focus, it improves memory, it organizes our energy field". (Excerpt from the Conscious Living Manual by Shantree Kacera.)

So good, right? So climb aboard the journey to grounded and vibrant health, because really, we must be deeply grounded in earth to reach out for heaven.

Starting on November 5th, Deepak Chopra will be guiding a meditation journey for 21 days. It is a free event, but you must register. The three week process is guided towards a place of authentic abundance consciousness. In nature, it takes 21 days for a caterpillar to become a butterfly, it is a significant number of transformation. Opportunities like these, the gathering of large numbers of people doing something you inspire to do, or perhaps already do, are a great way to find strength in developing the meditation muscle, or perhaps in finding strength in sustaining the meditation practice you already have.

All though I have read several of his books, I have not done any of this workshops, so I will be listening to his guidance during the 21 days along with you. I'm curious, for my meditation practice is a quiet one, bringing my awareness back to the breath, focusing on my body experience. So it will be different for me to have someone guiding the process, but I am open to it's benefits and the growth the process can bring to my and your life.

If this is something that might interest you, sign up! you might be happily surprised. We'll be doing it together!

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"Meditation is not a way of making your mind quiet. It is a way of entering into the quiet that is already there- buried under the 50,000 thoughts the average person thinks every day". - Deepak Chopra

In the cusp of change.. i got the 'pep' talk, and sat down to read my words...

A few days after I wrote my 'Open heart letter about Chellation Therapy', my husband sat me down for the familiar 'pep' talk... man ... I dislike 'pep' talks... necessary at times, I would have to agree, doesn't mean I have to like them... all though I know he is right...

Do you ever have a dream that you can almost taste? Do you ever have a vision of your future self with such clarity you just can't wait? It's just so exciting, so juicy, so fabulous! The time is now, right? But what if now is not quite ready. What if the healing journey needs a little more time, what if kids are still a bit too young, what if there is just too much going on for me to materialize what I see? then, for me, frustration sets in, then the famous 'pep' talk comes back, then I sit at the computer to read my own words to remind me that the right time will come and that really I am at the right place for myself right now. Yes, I am much better, and the vibrancy that I see in my dreams and visions will lead the way to the opening of my heart to guide your heart. The day that I see, will come and the 'pep' talk will transform itself.. (or so I wish :)).

In the meantime... an email from my dear friend and mentor, Caroline Dupont, and the synchronicity of what I had been thinking of sharing with you brings me to the power of herbs and elixirs to REMINERALIZE our bodies... yeap. There is a lot of Remineralization to be done, and many ways to go about it!

Elixirs and Tea Infusions are a fantastic way to gather the essence of the life force of herbs to remineralize ourselves. I have make them and use them as tea, as 'water' to be added to any raw soups, smoothies, elixirs! I sincerely have felt a difference since I started incorporating them into my daily routine. Now there are just so many herbs to use, and so many ways to use them... the key is to soak the herbs in boiled water overnight to "infuse" the water with their powers. The ratio of herbs to boiled water really depends on your body and constitution. For most people, a cup of dried herbs to 4 cups of water seem to be right. For me, well oh well, about a handful of dried herbs per 4 cups of hot water seems to be right. So play with it, and find your ratio and your healing balance.

Tea infusions are also a great way to get to know your herbs. To get you out there, where the wild things are and gather your own, dehydrate them or leave them to naturally dry. So get out there!


TEA INFUSION RECIPE:

1 cup of dried herbs (or a handful)
4 cups of hot water (boiled)
a 1 liter glass jar with a lid or a cheese cloth (Method #1)
or a glass pot with a lid (Method #2)

METHOD #1: place the herbs in the glass jar, pour the hot water, gently move the jar to submerge the dried herbs. If you can place the jar by the window to absorb the moon rays, place a quartz crystal beside it, and why not, use your HADO writing on the jar to maximize it's healing power... I am all about synergy. Dried blossoms are best when infused for a minimum of 2 hrs. Dried herbs are best when infused for a minimum of 4 hrs. Dried roots are best when infused for a minimum of 8 hrs. So to make life simple, make your mix, place it in the jar and let it infuse overnight :).

METHOD #2: place the barks/roots in a glass pot, along with the water and let it gently simmer covered for 20 minutes. Turn off the stove, then let the barks/roots infuse the water overnight. I use this method when I use barks for the infusions. The active ingredients in some of the barks seem to need a more active simmering to be released. (But that really depends on whose words you read.). So use whichever method resonates with you.


TEA INFUSION 

Palo d'Arco (Taheebo tea)/ Cat's Claw/ Horsetail/ Goji berries/ Chaga/ Reishi mushroom

Some of you are familiar with them, some of you are reading these for the first time. Don't worry, they will soon be familiar words in your dictionary too. You are most likely to be able to find them all at your local health food store or online.

Palo d'Arco comes from the inner bark of the Taheebo tree in the South American rainforest. In some places it is known as Taheebo tea. It is known to have powerful antifungal properties and it strengthens the body's immune system. It is known to relieve infections, reduce inflammation, promote digestion, flush toxins from the body, and protects the body against cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure.

Cat's Claw (Una de Gato) is used traditionally in Peruvian medicine. It is a strong antiviral which works  in synergy with Palo d'Arco to boost the immune system. It is known to aid with digestive issues, and to have powerful anti cancerous and anti-tumor properties.

Horsetail is high in silica, which is vital to the health of hair, skin, and nails. It helps build calcium in the body.

Goji berries is a sweet dark colored fruit. It is a superfood known for its high antioxidant content and its longevity promoting properties, they are believed to protect the liver and the kidneys.

Chaga is a medicinal mushroom that grows in the birch trees in the forest. It is believed to be a strong immunity builder in the our body and to have strong anti-cancerous properties as well. ** If using method #2, add the Chaga after you have turned the stove off, to infuse the water overnight.

Reishi is another medicinal mushroom that builds the body's immunity, has anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties, is considered in chinese medicine to benefit the liver and heart organs. ** If using method #2, add the Chaga after you have turned the stove off, to infuse the water overnight.

I am currently using a 5 mushroom Blend from Wild Rose, that includes Red Reishi, Cordyceps Mycella, Maitake, Chaga, Coriolus. You can add it to your infusion or simply add the powder to your drink, smoothie, or soup.

So brew them up and drink it up! Make a tea using the above herbs and then use the tea infusion as your 'water base' in everything from a smoothie to a raw soup, to your drinking water for the day. Your body will thank you.

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"Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves- slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future." - Thich Nat Hahn.

Now that I have ripped my heart open, let's RE MINERALIZE IT!

JUICE IT UP! JUICE IT UP! JUICE IT UP!!

So, now that I have given you my open heart... let's juice it up!

One of the most important things we can do for ourselves is to RE MINERALIZE as we heal... and simply just to RE MINERALIZE every day through juicing and eating foods that contain high amount of minerals..

Most of us today are mineral deficient. Even when we eat organic foods, they don't always have the minerals that we need for vibrant health. So where do we find these precious friends, you say?

Juicing is a must.. juicing concentrates the amounts of the minerals present in foods and because it is a liquid, they are easily absorbed by our systems without much loss. Most minerals are lost in the process of cooking our food, so adding fresh raw foods daily to our diet, will also increase the RE MINERALIZATION process. And last but not least, eating fresh sprouts, both with green leafs and with the tails (just at the beginning of the process).

And when you combine them all... well think of giving your body some much needed SUPER POWERS!

Fresh pressed raw vegetable green juices that include sprouts... is like having a green blood transfusion first thing in the morning that will have your cells tickle and dance for the rest of the day!

A very easy green juice that I like to start my days with is what I call the

GREEN MORNING SPARKLE

1 whole cucumber, washed and cut
6 celery ribs
1 or 2 green apples
handful of sunflower sprouts
1 inch piece of ginger

Juice it all up by alternating the ingredients so that your juicer runs smoothly..

Juice it up and consciously and slowly drink it up!

If you don't  have access to sprouts, keep things simple and juice the rest of the veggies.. it's still all superpower goodness!





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"Many people put more time into the maintenance of their cars than into their own body! Buy yourself organic vegetables and eat them. Invest in yourself. ... You can ask yourself , “What have I consumed today that will build high integrity blood , bone, brain and body tissue? What have I done today that will add another day to my life?” Annie Padden and David Jubb

LifeFood Recipe Book North Atlantic Books

Seemingly quiet.... an open heart letter about Chellation..

Seemingly quiet I have ridden the roller coaster ride of 12/ 12 sessions of Chellation therapy over the last 4 and half months. Last week I had my last session. I get a two week break and then do something called "the challenge" where we see where my levels of heavy metal toxicity are at. In the meantime, my "lows" are not as low as they used to be and my vibrancy is only getting better and brighter! so onwards we go... fuelling this precious temple with high octane raw nutrition, juicing, elixirs, super foods, you name it! I am putting it all in and putting it all out. Supported by lovely family and friends, I stand chin up, knowing I am doing everything in my power to heal and to let go.

Letting go is easier said than done. Letting go of the thoughts, experiences, circumstances in my present life and in my consciousness that created the perfect storm. But I try. I show up to my life, I breathe, I stretch, I visualize, I exhale.... I try to exhale the cellular memory within my body. I had to let go of anger, I had to let go of fears, I had to let go of all the choices I didn't make that perhaps would have taken me a different path.... I had to accept this path, MY PATH WITH AN OPEN HEART, for I know the future is bright, more than a physical journey, my rawllygood journey has become a journey into consciousness. I am vibrantly happy swimming in the oceans of OM, in the fields of wild life force energy, in the breath of pure potentiality. We have a conscious choice in who we are. We have a conscious choice in who we become.

Showing up to my mat has gained more meanings than the literal one since Chellation started. I have been more tired than usual, I have been more emotional than usual, I have been swepped by the winds of heavy detox into the realm of total bhaaa! and total letting go for I just had to let it happen, ride the side effects and let the deep cell detox happen.... at first I fought it, because I simply love showing up to my mat at 5 am... that quiet time before the world wakes up, there is a sweetness in the air, there is a stillness in the breath... but I haven't been able to do it. And I was mad. Really mad. For that is really my time. I had to learn to adapt and stay connect with my breath in different ways. If that day I needed sleep.. well, then that was my mat and my meditation, my healing for that moment. If I needed to sit, I sat. If I needed to run around with my 3 busy active kids, then I had to save my energy for them and run around. Above all, I had to accept that they are my path at this time and letting go of my precious early morning meditation, as much as it was difficult for me, had to happen so I could manage family life at this moment in time. I witnessed and felt great healing happen when I stopped trying so hard. When I embraced the processed with gentle care. When I surrendered to my body's wisdom, for it knows the way of the healing journey.

Originally I had wanted to write more about it, but as the weeks went on it became obvious to me that I needed space. Space to pull out some weeds. Working at "Happy Farms" the CSA I joined this summer was one of the best medicines for my spirit. It provided me with space away from everything and everyone to process. To let the tears fall as I weeded the organic rows of veggies... To feel gratefulness for the opportunity to be there, to feel the abundance of the earth, to know how much care and sweat goes into growing happy organic natural food, to the happy faces of those who work there that lifted me up just by showing up, to connect with my future, with the path I now embrace. To be out there with the elements, with the animals, with my soul. Thank you Happy Farms, Thank you Angela for your open heart and for reminding me of the power of love to heal, to embrace, to care, to provide ourselves with exactly what we need. To trust, to build, to aim high, and above all to hold onto the intention of Happiness. Intention heals, it brings us one step closer to where we want to be. It raises our vibration, and carries us forward. I have gained a new sense of respect for the whole process of nourishment. From the seed to the vegetable, from the chick to the chicken or the lamb to the sheep, from the care I gave to the land to the care I am able to nourish myself with. Thank you. Deeply.

From my yoga training, I have found strength on my breath, I have found strength on my sensory awareness of the energy flow, and I have made it "sacred" to fall asleep with a visualization and physical sensation of the healthy energy flow in my body. Through Adam (Dreamhealer), I have gather more tools for healing visualizations. From yoga and meditation I have found the taste of sweetness in the air I breath. Developing the "sacred" muscle is not always easy, but it is necessary if we want live who want to become, today.

From Kim (aka: colonics Queen), I have found laughter and comfort in my uniqueness. I now embrace my very sensitive tuned body awareness, my true teacher, that gets to the point before my mind does!

From my family, a deep sense of gratitude, graceful beings that shine as the sun rises, graceful beings that love, that spark curiosity and even more love in me. Thank you for your open heart, for allowing me to ride the waves of change, for challenging me to keep on showing up to today's day, as if all was well. Because it really is. ALL IS WELL. It has taken me some time to feel that, but now I do.

To my husband, thank you for your love.. I know it has not been easy being a witness to the process. I am thankful for your open mind and heart into the world of where the wild things are.

And yes, from the RAWlly good life force ... you keep my heart at peace, you keep the sparkle in my eyes for we are at the cusp of a brave new world.

And from you, THANK YOU. You, reader that have silently been there, hoping for more blogging from me. Hoping for more yoga tips, healing tools, and recipes to make your day shine even more brightly. It's time to shine! What do you say?

I say let's rock this Rawllygood life for there is only one ... LIVE WHAT YOU LOVE ... LOVE WHAT YOU LIVE ... breathe, breathe, breathe ... REACH FOR YOUR DREAMS, AND DREAM AGAIN... face your challenges with honesty, own them and let them go ... LOOSE YOUR FEARS ALONG THE WAY ... make your yellow brick road shine brightly with love ... GET INSPIRED AND BE INSPIRING ... feel your soul, TRUST YOUR BODY ... allow for abundance in your life ... WITNESS YOUR MIND, FEED IT GOODNESS ... love this life ... MAKE EACH DAY COUNT.

In peace,

Naty Howard.

Foraging edable wildness into my children...

What? yes.. insightful wildness must be taught and remembered! our ancestors knew their plants, their herbs, and their healing medicinal powers... it was an art, as much as a need for survival and the longevity of the tribe.. deep within our bones we have the knowledge and the insight to remember the power that lays within the wild foods nature presents us everyday.

Out in B.C. berries are EVERYWHERE! literally, everywhere.... my kids were so happy! they love 'em, they can eat them till the end of time.... if we let them! Often by where we would stop there would be a bush or two or three of blackberries, raspberries, blueberries.. unbelievable! So we thanked our lucky angels and we munched away. Have you ever had a chance to taste a wild blackberry? They are scrumptious! there is an essence to wild foods that carries within them tremendous power. They contain the essence of the elements that nurtured them and witnessed their becoming, and that precise essence has immense power to heal us and nurture us. That's why they are top in my books. That is why I think it is just so important to remember which wild foods are available to us no matter where we live. What are they, what kind of power can they offer us?, what kind of teachings lay asleep waiting for us to knock on the door?. Plenty I am sure.

Our kids today in general know little about where our food comes from, the labour of love of growing real food, of cooking or uncorking real meals, of what the plant that gave its fruit to us looks like? So it's time to teach them. Even if a few, what the tomato plant looks like, what the blackberry plant and strawberry plants look like, what the real source of their nurture comes from. Even if in the city... a few pots will do, plant one plant and create a dialogue. Visit a farmer's market.. they are bustling with freshness now.... you never know where it might take you....

It took us to another wild blackberry bush.. and half and hour later.. we were still day.. happy as pigs in mud... for lack of a vegan metaphor! ha!

   

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“Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.” Hippocrates