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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Rawllygood Potluck on this Sunday July 7th! - reminder

Hi everyone!

This is a reminder that the Rawllygood Potluck is this coming Sunday July 7th, 5-7pm at our place.  If you wish to join us, we will be at our friend Anne & Mike's Farmhouse annual farm tour prior to the potluck.  Their hours are 2.30- 5pm. Rain or shine. Dress for the weather.  No pets please.  Their address is: 30 Scugog Line 12, Uxbridge, ON.

For details of the Rawllygood Potluck please check the bar to the right of the screen that says "Details of the Rawllygood Potluck".

Looking forward to seeing you!

Naty

Happy Canada Day! and a recipe for Raw Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream!

Happy Canada Day!

To those of us living in the great white north beautiful Canada, well, HAPPY CANADA DAY! As an immigrant to Canada I am always thankful on this very day for the opportunity of being here.  On this very day I count my blessings, and with a heart full of gratitude I bow my head down and think of the amazing things that had to happen for me to be here today.  A free and peaceful country, where I can speak my truth without persecussion, where I can walk without the worry of being followed or being assaulted, where I can build the life of my dreams and know that my children have an incredible opportunity to be a part of building a better world.  So Canada: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  May you continue to blossom, may you continue to seek peace through peaceful ways, may you continue to take care of all your citizens providing heatlh care  and education to all, may you continue to be accepting of our differences and be a leader in creating multicultural societies that thrive in all aspects of being.

On this Canada Day, what are you thankful for? a kiss from your child? a breath of fresh air? the vibrant community that surrounds you? Bring it into your awareness, feel it in your heart, and let it shine!

It wouldn't be a complete Canada Day without some Homemade Strawberry Rhubarb Ginger Ice Cream, with freshly picked strawberries and rhubarb... oh.. its simply divine!

Recipe for Homemade Strawberry Rhubarb Ginger Ice Cream
1 cup of coconut water
2 cups organic strawberries
1 cup organic rhubarb cut into pieces
1 1/2 inch piece Ginger
2 cups young coconut meat
2 cups of cashews, soaked for at least 2 hrs.
1/2 cup of raw coconut nectar or raw honey
seeds of 1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp of vanilla powder
a pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup of coconut oil, warmed to liquid
chopped strawberries and/or rhubarb for garnish

Add coconut water to high speed blender (or food processor), add the rest of the ingredients except for the coconut oil.  Blend or process until smooth, then while the blender or food processor is running add the coconut oil.  Blend or process until it is well mixed.  Pour the blend into the ice cream maker and follow the manufacturers directions (they are all different).  Remove from ice cream maker and freeze.  Let it freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight to firm up.  Scoop, add garnish.

Enjoy outside while feeling the sun beaming on you and counting your blessings!

What are you thankful for on this Canada Day? and if you are not in Canada... today is a good day to count your blessings anyway!

Love,
Naty

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Song of the Day:

"Oh singer you must search
for your place on the earth
while the same for your nation is true.
So lift up the soul of your country
and a place will be found here for you.
But don't go and run until your song has been sung
and the words of your soul have been said.
For a land without song can't stand very long
When the voice of its people is dead.

You may pile up your gold
but the pride of your soul
is the small bit of hope you bestow
on the children who come this way tomorrow
in search of the right way to go.
So singer sing on
like the first ray of dawn
with your promise of day just ahead.
For the land without song
can't stand very long
when the voice of its people is dead."

-Lyrics to The Singer, by Stompin' Tom Connors.  Canadian Folk musician, 1936- 2013

No No No... Of course I have not forgotten about you!... and Yes! It's Official!

The days seem to roll on and goodness, gracious we are in June already!

I hope you have been well... I have been a busy bee... and thus my lack of communication.. but it's all all right .. I am still here...

Last Sunday night, I had the privilege of hosting the first ever Rawllygood Potluck at our place. With family and friends we gathered and lead the way to one of many Potlucks to be had.  So ITS OFFICIAL! The Rawllygood Potluck is here to stay... on the first Sunday of the month between 5 -7pm.  So gather yourselves and come on by for a Rawllygood time full of inspiration, community and great people who strive to build a wholesome community.  No worries, you don't have to be Raw Vegan to come on by.. just have an open heart and a willing to try new things, that is all.  Actually, I was the only Raw vegan at this pot!, but I am full of luck in that as friends and family we respect each other's choices recognizing that we have a common desire to reconnect with the power of clean real fresh food and the power that as our community grows so does our awareness of our current environment and our awareness to be of support to one another.

Our next Rawllygood Potluck will be on Sunday July 7th, 5 - 7pm.  The potluck will be at our place (8641 concession 2, Mt. Albert/ Uxbridge, ON-- beware of GPS they will take you to the moon before they find our place!) but we have an opportunity to gather earlier at my friend's Anne and her husband Mike Lanigan Organic Farm for their Annual Farm tour.  It's bound to be a great day, can't get any fresher than that! From the farm to the table!

The Organic Farmhouse Garden Tour starts at 2.30pm and it is a Rain or Shine event.  Dress for the weather.  No pets please.  They do a great tour of their organic farm, it is an eye opener!.  Their address is 30 Scugog Line 12, Uxbridge, On.

So if you are interested in coming out, you can meet us there or meet us here for 5pm. If you are interested in coming only to the Potluck, let me know, and I will let you know where we are.  Either way please RSVP so that we have an idea of the numbers we are expecting.

Details of the Rawllygood Potluck:

Please bring a Raw Beegan dish of your own creation (I am ok with using raw honey as a sweetener, more on that follows, but keeping it Vegan otherwise) . Enough for the confirmed number of people to sample. Organic, dairy/egg free, plant based, meat free, not heated over 41C or 105F, along with a list of ingredients or recipe!! I will try my best to post some of the AWESOME recipes on the Blog.

Please AVOID the use of Agave syrup. IF your recipe calls for it you can use RAW cane sugar, dates or raw honey. Agave syrup is basically Fructose! and it will mess around with your blood sugars. More on that at http://rawllygood.blogspot.ca/2013/01/farewell-agave-farewell-hello-queen-bee.html

I know some of you are completely Vegan. We will do our best to respect that.

  

There are many websites to find inspiration such as:

www.rawllygood.blogspot.ca

www.goneraw.com

www.giveittomeraw.com

www.runningraw.com

www.hippocratesinst.org

I will be sending reminders of it on a monthly basis.

Please RVSP back to me so that I can have an idea of the numbers and we can all plan our dishes accordingly.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY 

“True wisdom lies in gathering the precious things out of each day as it goes by.”- Anonymous

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! 

In Loving Memory of those who lead with a golden heart...

I had finally sat down after a long break away from the computer to write about Spring and about releasing the 'someting old' to invite something new.... when we heard the news.. news that make you stop in your tracks, feel a low thump on your heart, deeply appreciate every second that we have and begin to grasp at the fact that we don't have all the answers for the way things happen, that life is more complex and intricate and fragile (if I may) than we would like to think.

I know a lot of you who read this blog are part of our community and are already dealing with the news. On friday morning, the Dunsmuir family passed away in their house due to a fire. Details are not clear, but what is clear is the loss that we all feel.

In our community the Dunsmuirs were the golden heart that lead the way to heart felt interactions, that gave the community strength, courage, and compassion.  Mrs. Dunsmuir was the Director of the Queensville Montessori Academy up until 2010, where our kids attended school. A small school full of humanity, openness, universal thinking and awareness. It was an extention of home.  It was full of heart, love, integrity, respect and devotion.

I believe that as we interact with one another a small part of ourselves gets left behind, I see it as a gift, an inspiration, a blessing. Mrs. Dunsmuir's blessing that will always be a part of me was her golden heart, for when one leads life with a golden heart, there is a different resonance to one's actions, words, thoughts, there is a different quality to our life. She walked her talk with a smile.

I would like to honour and dedicate this meditation to the Dunsmuir family (parents, Kevin and Jennifer, teenage sons, Robert and Cameron.). To David, their other son who was away at University. and to the community at large.

When we meditate we align ourselves and connect with universal energy, we connect with the source, and we connect with our environment and the people that surround us. For all of you in our community, this meditation is for us to feel connected with the blessings they gave to us. For those of you who perhaps never met the Dunsmuirs, this meditation is for connecting with the blessings and inspirations others have left for you and for leading your life with a golden heart.



The Connection and Golden Heart Meditation

1. Close your eyes and sit in a comfortable position. Breathe, deeply, a few times.

2. Begin to feel your body relax and let go of the stresses it feels.
Focus on your head, and feel your head relax as you gently exhale.
Focus on your face, and feel you face relax as you gently exhale.
Focus on your neck, and feel your neck relax as you gently exhale.
Go through your whole body. Neck, shoulders, arms, hands. Chest, upper abdomen, lower abdomen, organs. Hips, legs, knees, ankles, feet.

3. Come back to your breath. Focus on your breath for 5 rounds of inhalation and exhalation.

4. As you inhale, visualize a beam of golden light entering your heart chakra. Feel its radiance, warmth and love. Feel it filling up your heart chakra (upper chest) with golden light. Continue to be aware of your breath as you feel the golden light begin to travel freely all over your body, bringing along with it radiance, warmth, love, support. Connect with the blessings and inspirations others have left for you. Feel the beauty of life, feel the grace of a helping hand, feel the warmth and the depth of your own heart. Feel this golden light bring in new, fresh, vital energy into your body. Begin to feel refreshed. Begin to feel the lightness of your body as if a huge weight has been lifted of your shoulders. Feel the lightness and love in your heart.

5. Now visualize the golden energy flowing from your heart into the hearts of those around you, into your environment, into loved ones far away and into strangers nearby. This golden energy expands from your heart outwards into the world. Take some time to experience this flow of energy.

6. Come back to your breath. Come back to feeling the golden energy in your heart chakra and filling your whole body with it. Feel the gratitude in your heart for the blessings and inspirations others have given us and for the time shared together. Allow this gratitude to carry your own golden heart into the world. Focus on the inhale and the exhale a few times and then softly open your eyes.

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"When my tears come, I breathe deeply and rest. I know I am swimming in a hallowed stream where many have gone before. I am not alone, crazy or having a nervous breakdown..... My heart is at work, my soul is awake. "- Mary Margaret Funk. (Thoughts Matter: The Practice of a Spiritual Life)

Recipe for something BLUE: Balance those free radicals with Blueberry power!

Yes indeed Happy Day after Valentines! May your heart continue to feel warmth everyday, and your life be surrounded by love, always.

So here is a recipe to nurture our bodies from the inside out and perhaps help our bodies deal with the extra sweets from yesterday! Something BLUE to start the day, full of antioxidants that help our bodies fight the free-radicals in our bodies.

Yes indeed BLUEBERRIES are in my mind today, they protect  the heart and the brain, they boost memory, they help fight aging, and disease causing free radicals.

What exactly are FREE RADICALS you ask? well well, they are single atoms or groups of atoms, with an odd number of electrons. They are unstable and they go about in the body stealing electrons from other cells to gain stability, creating new free radicals along the way. They are responsible for cell damage. They have the potential to cause DNA damage and organ damage. As well, free radicals damage produced by excess of free radicals is believed to be associated with cancer.

Now, our bodies produce free radicals as part of our metabolism process, to neutralize viruses and bacteria, but the numbers of free radicals produced in these cases are what our bodies can handle. They can be easily neutralized by a diet high in fruits and vegetables, specifically foods rich in ANTIOXIDANTS,  and lifestyle.

When we experience physical and emotional stress, when exposed to environmental pollution, radiation, industrial chemicals, cigarette smoke, herbicides (used in our food production), processed foods, consumption of drugs (recreational and prescription), the presence of free radicals in our bodies can become excessive which as you read, can lead to all kinds of trouble.

The solution is easy. Find ways to manage your stress (exercise, yoga & meditation are great options!) and eat a diet filled with foods that are rich in antioxidants, vitamin C and vitamin E... some examples are berries, grapes, broccoli, garlic, tomatoes, and green tea. Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables, with a lot of raw power I might add, will take care of those free radicals dancing around in your body which will of course lead to more happy days ahead...

So roundabout we go to our friends the BLUEBERRIES...

RECIPE FOR SOMETHING BLUE: Balance those free radicals Blueberry Smoothie

1 1/2 cups of Hado water, spring water or good source water
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
2 bananas
2 TBSP raw almond butter
1 TSP raw honey
1 TBSP hemp seeds
1 TBSP Sea vegetable powder (spirulina, chorella, or any combination powder). IF you are new to them start them slow as they can be cleansing if you are not used to them. So start with 1 TSP and build your way up.

note_ I don't use frozen fruit in the winter, as the smoothie becomes to cooling for me, but in the summer I will even freeze bananas to add them to the smoothies!


Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend well, and shazam! you got your 'balance those free radicals power' ready to work for you!!!!! Sip slowly and enjoy!

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Quote of the Day
"We've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it's going to get on by itself. You've got to keep watering it. You've got to really look after it and nurture it"- John Lennon