Do you have a hard time getting your child to drink water? Maybe it’s hard for you to stay ahead of his or her thirst (a sign that they’re already dehydrated). Or perhaps you’re challenged with an older child who’s not under your influence as much (like at school) who also prefers sugary, less hydrating, low-nutrient drinks like juice, processed milk, and soda.

If you’re a health-conscious parent, you know about the benefits of water and how necessary it is to nourish our cells and drive most physiological functions in our bodies. The most popular recommendation right now is drinking half one’s body weight of water in ounces. But we often need more than that when the weather is hot, we’re sweating a lot, or when we’re sick. Dehydration can happen to people of all ages when we’re losing more water than we’re consuming. Sometimes dehydration can be so severe that a hospital visit is necessary to treat with IV fluids. Getting kids to prioritize drinking water is your best option to prevent serious issues.

Don’t worry though! It is totally possible for you to help your child establish this healthy habit. Here are several tips I can offer that have worked in my family to keep my son well-hydrated and preferring water over other drinks.

How To Get Your Child To Drink More Water

Model drinking water at home

If your kids see you reaching for coffee, sodas, juice, or even alcoholic beverages (that look like juice!) instead of water, then they’ll want what you have and will not understand the importance of water. You’ll need to teach them that water is best for you and for them.

Offer water first thing in the morning

Everyone, adults and kids alike, would benefit from drinking water first thing in the morning. This primes the body to start peristalsis (moving the digestive tract) which is one of the body’s main detoxification methods. Offer water to your child as soon as they wake, or even leave a large cup of water next to their bed so they can get in the habit of drinking as soon as they wake up. Of course it would be good for you to be doing the same! Adults should try to drink a 1-3 glasses of water upon waking. Your digestion should improve!

Let your child have their own special cup or water bottle

It can make all the difference if your child has their own water container. Let them pick out a special cup. Let them decorate their water bottle with stickers. It’s best to drink out of stainless steel, ceramic, copper, or glass, but plastic will do if that’s all that’s available.

Keep a pitcher of water at kitchen table

You’ll whole family will find it easier to drink more water if you keep a pitcher full on the kitchen table at all times. Kids love to be able to help themselves, so you could even make it easier for them by having a pitcher small enough that they can pour from themselves.

Always travel with water

Try to get your child in the habit of taking a bottle of water with them everywhere. All car rides, school, field trips, and even play dates (if you’re child is uncomfortable asking the parent for water).

Flavor the water

Of course it’s best if a child can appreciate the flavor of water alone. If they prefer drinking juice, try offering flavored water as a healthy alternative. Add sliced cucumber, lemon, berries, and/or mint. Our family also loves to drink a chilled hibiscus tea which tastes fruity but does not have any sugar.

(If the whole family agrees that the house water tastes bad, you may want to consider water testing & filtration!)

Drink sleepy time teas as bedtime ritual

Many families prefer to have milk at bedtime to help induce sleep, but unless you’re drinking raw milk, there’s not enough nutrients and way too much sugar in processed, lower fat milks. As a bedtime drink, you’re better off offering water alone or a bedtime tea to make it a more special ritual. Chamomile or lavender teas can help them relax to support better sleep. Offer it 1-2 hours before bed so they can go to the bathroom before falling asleep and not risk having to wake up to pee.

Teach child signs of dehydration & the risks

Again, dehydration is very serious. If you can spot it easily in babies and toddlers (no wet diapers within 3 hrs, crying without tears, sunken eyes, fever, and/or dry mouth). You’ll need to teach your older kids the signs of dehydration if they’re away from you much of the day. Teach them that they need to drink more water, and maybe even get help from their caregiver, if they’re experiencing:

• thirst
• a dry and sticky mouth
• dark and strong smelling urine
• infrequent urination (they should be going every 3 hours or so)
• infrequent stools (they should be pooping every day)
• headaches or muscle cramps
• dizziness
• irritability
• rapid breathing

Try to drink mainly room temperature water

While ice cubes may make drinking water more fun and ice water can feel refreshing on a hot day, it’s not the best way to drink water. We usually slow down and sip cold water (as we do hot), so it’s not as efficient as room temperature water for getting water into a child quickly to quench their thirst. Also, according to Chinese Medicine theory, cold inhibits the movement of Qi (vital energy) in the body, so can also create stomach pain or slow digestion, as can other cold foods and drinks. Still, I support you in doing what you need to to encourage your child to drink! So if you need to buy fancy ice cube trays, so be it!

I hope you’ll benefit from these tips on how to get your child to drink more water! Please let us know how you’re doing with them by commenting in this post. Moms everywhere would also love to hear your tips if you have any I didn’t mention! Well wishes to you and your family…

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Essential oils have been used all over the world for thousands of years, though not as much in the United States.  Fortunately, we’re now starting to see them increase in popularity.  This is mainly because essential oils have strong emotional health benefits and are safer alternatives to pharmaceutical drugs.

I love teaching others about the emotional benefits of the oils because there’s usually an emotional and energetic imbalance at the root of most health challenges.  For example, emotions can severely affect gut health and immunity (see graphic below for details).

From Essentialemotions.org – how emotions affect your body

Essential oils do not remove negative emotions and imbalances. However, they do give is one space and perspective to shift emotions.

“Stagnant anger, sadness, grief, judgement, and low self-worth cannot exist in the environment of balance and peace which essential oils help to create.”

(Emotions & Essential Oils: A Modern Resource for Healing 4th ed.)

Each person can perceive essential oils differently. Even so, based on chemistry, the feelings in the image below can be evoked most of the time:

In my experience, the essential oils listed below seem to have the greatest power to transform our emotional lives.

How to Use Essential Oils for Emotional Health

Apply 1 drop over the heart area, inside the wrists, or behind the ear. Make sure you dilute the essential oils with a carrier oil first for children or people with sensitive skin. (Scroll to bottom of article for appropriate dilution ratio).

Essential Oils for Emotional Well-Being

1. Arborvitae – The Oil Of Divine Grace

Arborvitae (the “tree of life”) has long been used for meditation and spiritual connection. It’s name actually means “to sacrifice”. Likewise, this oil encourages one to surrender to the natural flow of the universe, live with grace, and trust that everything will work out as it should.

2. Bergamot – The Oil of Self-Acceptance

Bergamot challenges unhelpful core beliefs. It can lift individuals out of despair, self-judgement, and hopelessness. As a result, it provides optimism, confidence, and encourages self-love.

3. Cilantro – The Oil of Releasing Control

Cilantro is great at detoxifying the physical body. It also detoxifies harsh emotions as well. Cilantro clears what no longer serves them, creating ease as heavy burdens are lifted.

4. Cypress – The Oil of Motion & Flow

Cypress creates more flexibility in the heart and mind. Also, it promotes trust, adaptability, and emotional growth. This helps one move beyond fear and apprehension.

5. Geranium – The Oil of Love & Trust

Geranium addresses a huge spectrum of emotional issues that can arise from difficult life circumstances. It teaches about the innate goodness in others, helps breed positivity and restore trust in the world. Moreover, it nourishes our inner child, connecting to unconditional self-love.

6. Helichrysum – The Oil for Pain

Helichrysum heals wounds and is a powerful first aid agent. Similar to Geranium, it can help with emotional wounds too like difficult life circumstances, addiction, and abuse. Also, it helps the heart heal, and one feels more courageous, hopeful, and determined.

7. Lavender – The Oil of Communication

Lavender encourages us to express our emotions in an open and honest way. It fosters respectful relationships with others, satisfying our need to be heard.

8. Lime – The Oil of Zest for Life

We’ve all experienced the uplifting fragrance of Lime! This is the strongest oil for dealing with feelings of apathy, grief, and discouragement. Lime can help one feel grateful for life.

9. Myrrh – The Oil of Mother Earth

Myrrh helps one to feel safe in the world and form healthy attachments. Thereby, it fosters a deeper connection with one’s mother, helps women grow into the role of a mother, and to love others deeply.

10. Thyme – The Oil of Releasing & Forgiving

Thyme vents suppressed, trapped feelings. It helps one process hate, rage, anger, and resentment. As a result, there’s more space for forgiveness, tolerance, patience, and understanding.

In conclusion, there are several essential oils that can help you, or someone you care about, deal with emotional challenges. Thankfully, the Earth provides us with these safe and effective tools! We can rely on them without having to worry about damaging side effects and addiction, as we do with pharmaceutical drugs.

Know that essential oils brands are not all the same! Certainly, use Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade oils which have undergone rigorous testing. These brands guarantee purity and potency. You get the desired effect and your money’s worth. You can visit my Essential Oil website page for my recommendations.

Do you use essential oils for emotional balance? Which oils work best for you? Let’s hear about it in the comments! If you enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends!

Do you suffer from headaches regularly? Are they negatively affecting your social, work, & family life? If you’re looking for safe solutions that treat the root cause of your issue, you’ll appreciate these 10 effective natural headache remedies that will help you get back to doing the things you love!

Over-the-counter (OTC) medications like acetaminophen and ibuprofen can be a temporary fix for headaches, but they don’t affect the root cause and therefore don’t prevent them from coming back. Plus, they have major side effects like drowsiness, anemia, stomach pain, constipation/diarrhea, high blood pressure, bleeding/bruising, and liver & kidney damage that you don’t want to add to the mix!

If your headaches are sharp and severe, it’s a good idea to rule out any serious health issues with your medical doctor. If they diagnose you with a common (though still seriously painful!) tension headache or migraine and simply offer addictive narcotics or OTC drugs, it would be wise to seek safer options. Try these 10 natural and effective remedies that will not only address the root cause of your headaches without any side effects, but also add to your general health!

10 Natural & Effective Headache Remedies

1. Drink Water

Headaches are a common side effect of dehydration, so you should first ask yourself if you’ve drank enough water when you feel the first waves of pain. We should each be drinking at least half our body in weight in ounces of water each day (eg. a 140 lb woman would drink 70 oz. water). It’s best to drink the majority of it in the morning to prime digestion and proactively hydrate, since fluids can be lost later through sweating & diuretics (like caffeine which we’ll get to next). Of course if you’ve been sick with a fever or diarrhea, you’ll want to drink more water to prevent headaches too.

2. Limit Alcohol & Caffeine

Alcoholic beverages are vasodilators that are known to cause headaches. Alcohol and caffeine are both diuretics and also dehydrate the body quickly which can result in headaches as we discussed above.

I know many of you are saying, “but I get a headache when I DON’T have my coffee!” or “I’ve heard caffeine can help with headaches!” Well, both statements are right.

Caffeine can decrease inflammation, so can temporarily stop a headache. But since the narrowed blood vessels around the brain start to expand quickly again when the caffeine wears off, it can then cause pain again. Headaches are a withdrawal symptom when someone is trying to break their caffeine addiction and can also result when caffeine is combined with other medications.

3. Get More Sleep

Sleep restores brain function each night, so any sleep deprivation can strain the brain, typically causing dull forehead and vertex headaches. For some people, getting enough sleep is easier said than done. If you need help falling asleep or staying asleep, please read my 3-part sleep series starting with Natural Sleep Remedies, part 1: Finding Your Rhythm to help you along.

4. Use Essential Oils

Did you know that essential oils can solve approximately 85% of your health concerns? That includes headaches too! It’s important that you only use therapeutic-grade essential oils though, as adulterated, low quality oils can actually contribute to headaches. See my essential oil website page for information about the brand I trust the most!

My favorite essential oils for headaches that I’ve seen work well on my patients & family members are:

Frankincense

Peppermint

Rosemary

doTERRA PastTense blend

doTERRA Deep Blue blend

doTERRA Rescuer blend (gentle for kids & sensitive adults)

Apply 1-2 drops of the concentrated oils or swipe roller bottle blends (diluted with fractionated coconut carrier oil) onto the head where ever you’re experiencing pain. Inhaling the aromas can also help relax your body and calm your nerves.

5. Receive Acupuncture & Acupressure

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a complete health care system and includes acupuncture as well as acupressure/massage, dietetics, herbs, and Qigong. In TCM, the root cause of headaches is a disharmony in the flow of Qi (vital energy) and blood in the body and linked strongly to our emotions. This disharmony is treated directly, which is why acupuncture is phenomenal at treating and preventing headaches. Clients must commit to a series of treatments though, not expecting a quick fix (especially if you’ve been getting regular headaches for several years!)

If your needle-phobic, acupressure is an effective alternative! You can even do acupressure on yourself. If you subscribe to my website email list, you’ll actually get a free stress-relieving acupressure e-book gift! I made it especially for moms, but everyone can use it!

6. Do Yoga

A regular, relaxing yoga practice can lessen physical tension and stress that can bring on headaches. This includes deep breathing, restorative postures, mindfulness of repressed emotions, and gentle inversions if they’re already part of your practice. The combination of them all balance the endocrine and nervous systems.

Again, not all yoga is the same! It must be a style that is relaxing and you must pay close attention to your body’s cues to make sure you’re releasing stress and not accumulating it if you’re engaging in a competitive way. Read Yogic Approach to Stress Relief for more information on how to do this.

7. Try an Elimination Diet

Certain foods can trigger headaches. The most common culprits are preservatives like MSG & nitrates, artificial colors, artificial sweeteners, alcohol, and caffeine. You can try taking those out first. If you still have headaches, especially if you have other digestive symptoms, you may want to consider more extensive trouble-shooting of your diet. The Elimination Diet by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre is my favorite program, which I’ve done a few times and is a very approachable way of figuring out which foods are causing the pain.

8. Take Supplements

Dietary supplements and herbs can help bridge any nutrition gaps that may cause headaches. Increasing your dosage of magnesium and calcium is known to balance serotonin levels. Increased vitamin B2 can help decrease pain from migraines.

Consuming feverfew, valerian, black cohosh, garlic, ginkgo, and elder flower can help resolve tension headaches. Ginger, cayenne, garlic, and fennel are especially helpful for those that develop around the menstrual cycle.

9. Take a Break from the Screen

Eye strain from computer work, social media activity on phones, reading tablets and video game play can develop into a headache. In Chinese Medicine, we advise to not just take a break from the screens to relax the eyes, but also to go outside and be with trees. The green color of leaves is very soothing for the eyes and allowing them to experience depth perception by looking at the individual leaves/needles can also help relax the eyes (and your whole head).

10. Use Heat to Soothe Tension

If your headache is caused by tension, increasing blood circulation with heat can help relieve it. Try a heating pad or hot compress if you can pinpoint the muscles that are tight. Or you can take a hot bath with epsom salt and essential oils to relax the whole body while also increasing circulation. Even giving yourself a nice, hot foot bath can be enough to bring the energy down out of the head.

You’ll know which remedies you should try first if you start a “headache journal”, documenting what your day was like leading up to the headache. Then it’s up to you to adjust your lifestyle as you incorporate the remedies, which may take a little time to fine-tune. The desire to lead a pain-free, joyful life without harmful medications is hopefully enough motivation to help you commit!

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One of the first possible signs of the common cold or flu is a sore, ticklish, or scratchy throat. Instead of thinking “Oh no! Here we go!” and resigning yourself to a week of discomfort, you can thank your body for this helpful clue as it’s the best time to change the course of the illness! Try these natural sore throat home remedies (along with lots of water, broth, and rest) you’ll likely to be back to your perky self in just a few days!

1. Gargle with warm salt water

Most microorganisms that like to invade our body do not do well in a high saline environment. You can flush them out of your throat and prevent the spread of the illness by gargling with salt water.

Dissolve 1 teaspoon of sea salt in 1/4 cup of warm salt water and gargle several times a day until your throat feels better.

2. Rinse your nose with warm salt water

Ancient yogis knew that cleansing the nostrils was a great way to not just purify our vital energy pathways, but to defend the body against pathogens as well. The nose and mouth are the first places for microorganisms to enter the body. Sometimes, a sore throat can be the result of post-nasal drip from the nose. It’s a good idea to keep the nose clear when you’re first getting sick (also a great way to prevent illness!)

Use a saline nasal spray you can pick up from your local health food store.

-OR-

Use a neti pot to rinse your nose the traditional way. See this post for more information including video instruction.

3. Drink licorice root tea

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, licorice root (Gan cao) is one of the most commonly use herbs for wellness. It is indicated for sore throats and also moistens the lungs, easing cough. So even if the illness continues and moves into the lungs, drinking this tea will continue to provide comfort.

You can buy whole licorice root in bulk or in tea bags. Here are 2 organic sources that I recommend:

Buddha teas

Wellness Naturals (bulk) tea

4. Eat local raw honey

Honey can immediately soothe your sore throat and help to fight off infection. I use this on a very temporary basis though since too much sugar can actually create gut flora imbalance which will compromise your immune system in the long run.

It’s best to eat raw honey which retains all the phytonutrients, enzymes, and vitamins that make it such a powerful, protective agent. Of course honey should not be given to children under the age of 1 to prevent possible botulism infection (although rare).

5. Use therapeutic grade essential oils

Essential oils are especially beneficial for viral infections because of their ability to penetrate our cell membranes, where viruses like to reproduce. They can be applied to the front of the neck, the spine, and the soles of the feet to improve your immune health systemically. But you’ll also experience relief if you use them internally with one of the methods already mentioned (garling with salt water, in tea, or with honey, but NOT putting them in your nose with the saline rinse).

Only Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade essential oils can be taken internally. These are the best essential oils for a sore throat:

Lemon

Wild Orange

Peppermint

Protective Blend

It’s a good idea to have all these materials in your home so you’re prepared the next time you get sick!

If you have a natural remedy for a sore throat that’s not mentioned here, let us all know in the comments! Well wishes for good health!

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Regardless of the type of pain you’re experiencing, you’ll want to know about these 4 acupressure points for pain that will lessen your discomfort quickly!

In Chinese Medicine, we know that pain is the result of blocked Qi (vital energy) or blood in the body. When the Qi & Blood is flowing freely in the body channels, there is no pain. Therefore, the goal with pain conditions is to increase circulation of Qi & Blood in order to resolve the blockage or stagnation.

There are 4 points that do the job best, called the “4 Gates”. It’s really just 2 points; 1 on the hand and 1 on the foot that are used bilaterally (both sides of the body), totaling 4 points. Together they create an analgesic effect that is easy to try when experiencing pain.

As I write this, I happen to be nursing myself back to health after pulling my medial gastrocnemius (calf) muscle in a tennis clinic yesterday. I could barely walk or drive yesterday, so I set up a station on my bed where I could do acupuncture on myself and also work.

 

 

Natural acupuncture and essential oil treatment for gastrocnemius (calf) muscle strain.

Even as an acupuncturist though, I usually don’t have time to give myself a treatment. Today I can walk more, so I’m off doing errands and getting to work, not immobile in bed. I’ve been using acupressure instead, which can be just as effective as acupuncture. This is something you can do too without formal training! And the 4 Gates are sufficient when you don’t know which local points to use for your condition.

“4 Gates” Acupressure Points for Pain

Hold each point with firm pressure for 1-2 minutes. Be sure to do both sides of the body, so you’re actually doing all 4 points. Adding pain relieving essential oils like Deep Blue Soothing Blend or Rescuer Blend to the points can augment treatment effectiveness.

Note: With acupuncture, both points are contraindicated for pregnancy because of their strong mobilization of Qi & blood.

Large Intestine 4 – “Hegu”

Locate this point on the back of the hand, between the thumb and pointer finger bones, in the middle of the bulge created when the fingers are close together.

This point is indicated for numerous conditions. With regard to pain, it is often used for headaches, painful menstruation, stomach/intestine pain, toothache, difficult labor, abdominal pain, and any other body ache.

Large Intestine 4 Acupressure Point

 

 

Liver 3 – “Taichong”

Locate this point on the top of the foot, in the depression between the big toe and 2nd toe as you slide your finger up from the webbing of the toes.

Similar to Large Intestine 4, this point is indicated for numerous conditions. Alone, it’s a great point for headaches because it moves energy down from the head. Together with Large Intestine 4, they treat any pain conditions.

Liver 3 Acupressure Point

 

 

The 4 Gates are powerful starting points that you can try before popping a pain pill if you need immediate relief! Remember, pain is an important signal from the body – you don’t want to be numb and blocked off from communication. Acupressure is a great way to befriend the body and work with it as it initiates it’s own healing response.

Please let me know in the comments if you found these points helpful!

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Summer is the season we associate with fun, relaxation, and carefree living. Our days are less structured, so our kids tend to stay up and sleep in later. We often become more lax with our diets too, as restaurants visited on family vacations don’t always have the best quality food. To stay well in summer, it’s important not to fall into unhealthy habits. Learn how to stay healthy in summer with these simple guidelines, so you can enjoy this season to the fullest!

How to Stay Healthy This Summer with TCM

1. Adjust Your Activity Level

The Yang energy of the sun reaches its maximum at the summer solstice on June 21. From there it starts a gradual decline until the winter Solstice in December.

What does that mean?

Since Yang is decreasing, Yin energy is increasing; we need to adjust our activity to become more Yin as well. Being “more Yin” means to embrace quiet, stillness, and our calm, receptive feminine nature.

I know, it doesn’t sound like summer. It’s supposed to be exciting!

Remember, this is a gradual change we’re adjusting to over the season. We can be lively in June and then start to ramp it down. By the end of August, hopefully we’re all grounded enough that kids can adjust well to the new school year and we can easily commit to our work life again.

If we ignore the cues from nature and go full force in the Summer Heat, we’re likely to burn out. This is bad new for our health in Fall, as we may get sick quickly and often without the restorative energy of Summer.

2. Get Some Morning Sun and Finish Activities Early

Part of adjusting your activity level is to also adjust the timing of your activities. If you live in a really hot climate, you already know how to do this well:

Get your workouts, errands, gardening, and other outdoor obligations done early.

You’ll need to resist the temptation to start the days slow. Trust me, you’ll be feeling great after absorbing that morning sun. It will elevate your mood and give you the energy you need to be productive. Then you can rest in the afternoon (which will become the hottest part of the day as summer progresses) completely guilt-free.

3. Eat These Foods to Stay Healthy in Summer

Summer is packed full of opportunities to eat out – restaurants, ballparks, amusement parks, family BBQs, etc. Since you may not always have control over these meals, it’s extra important to eat well at home.

Our digestion is stronger in summer. We’re now able to eat raw and cooling foods without gas and bloating.

These are the best foods to balance summer heat (from The Tao of Nutrition):

 

 

Everyone should do their best to refrain from these foods which may increase heat in the body and cause inflammation, dryness, constipation, and headaches.

• processed sugar
• alcohol
• deep fried foods
• caffeine (not too much chocolate either!)
• hot, spicy foods

You may want to revisit: Have a Sweet Summer Without Excess Sugar

4. Be Cool and Refrain From Anger & Overexcitement

Anger and mania cause heat to rise internally according to Chinese Medicine philosophy. Accumulation of heat internally over a long period of time can cause disease. Anger and excitement are normal human emotions, of course, but it’s important to be mindful of what is causing them so we’re not caught up in these emotions continuously.

Meditation helps us become less reactive, and is a great practice to remain calm, cool, and level-headed. If you’re not ready to meditate, you can try to process your emotions through journaling or talking with a dear friend. You can try a Yin yoga practice which is an active meditation. Or use essential oils to manage your emotions and the heat that can arise.

Chinese Medicine helps us to see the connection between us and nature. Living in harmony with the rhythm of nature and preventing disease is the basis of it’s philosophy. If you adhere to these guidelines, or at least try returning to them whenever you get off track with summer (& sometimes unhealthy) fun, then you’ll find that you maintain wellness longer.

If you enjoyed this article, please share with your friends!  Let me know what you think of these summer health tips in the comments.  Well wishes to you…

According to Taoism and Chinese Medicine, humans are actually microcosms of nature. Summer is related to the element of fire and to the Heart and Small Intestine organs in the human body, as well as the Pericardium & Triple Burner (which do not exist as functional organs in Western anatomy). When the energetic channels that connect to these organs are out of balance, we could experience more heat in the body which may manifest as:

• headaches
• high fever
• high blood pressure
• mania
• delirium
• anger
• constipation/dry stools
• rashes
• sleep disturbances

and more.

Through yin yoga, we can increase energy flow in the Heart, Small Intestine, Pericardium, and Triple Burner channels. The slow, mindful, yin approach is cooling in nature and is the perfect solution to the problems mentioned above. By cooling and grounding in the heat of summer, we can also maintain inner harmony. Try this Summer Yin Yoga sequence to stay cool & balanced!

Cool Down With This Summer Yin Yoga Sequence

This Summer Yin Yoga sequence dilates the Heart, Small Intestine, Pericardium, and Triple Burner energetic channels (in addition to all the others that reside in the upper body). Hold each posture for 2-5 minutes while releasing with gravity. As you let go in the muscles, the stretch will move deeper into the connective tissue, which is where the energetic channels reside. Stretching the connective tissue is perfectly safe as long as you’re not moving quickly in and out of the shape.

You’ll experience more space and freedom in the chest, arms, upper back, neck, and around the scapula in addition to finding equanimity in the heart and a wider perspective in the mind.

Eagle arms forward bend

Stand with your feet hip joint width apart or slightly wider. Reach your arms out in front and cross them over your chest at the upper arms. If you have the flexibility, continues winding around the forearms and joining up the palms. Let your knees bend as you fold forward at the hips. Allow your arms and head to be heavy to release around the scapula, upper back, and neck where the Small Intestine channels traverse. After holding for 1-2 minutes, unwind the arms, allowing them to hang. Repeat on the other side.

 

 

Prone Arm Cross

Lay on your belly and start with your arms out to the side. Sweep them forward as you lift your torso away from the ground and cross deeply at the upper arms. Reach the fingers away from each other. Once at your maximum stretch, relax your weight down onto the arms. When ready to exit, engage your core muscles to lift the torso and gently unwind the arms. Rest in neutral, prone, until ready to cross the arms the other way.

 

 

1/4 Downward Dog

From hands and knees, place one forearm to the ground under the shoulders perpendicular to the spine. Reach the other arm straight out in front. Relax your chest down and forearm down. You may want to stretch in cat pose before going to the other side.

Prone Twist

Come down onto your belly again for a deep chest/front shoulder stretch. Bring one arm out to the side with the elbow bent and palm down (this position creates a deeper stretch than with the arm straight and palm turned up). Use your other hand to tip your body over to the side. Place your legs in a position that helps you stay sideways for the appropriate amount of time. Rest on your belly in neutral, then go to the other side.

 

 

Fish in Reclined Bound Angle

Sit up with the soles of your feet together and your knees opening out to the sides from your hips. Place your hands under your buttocks. Lift your chest, reclining onto your forearms. If it feels safe, slowly bring your head to the ground.

 

 

Reclined Twist

Lay on your back with your feet on the ground, knees bent. Lift one leg, crossing it deeply at the upper thighs. Continue bringing the knees over into the direction of the cross. Open your chest to the other side, letting your arm move over head or out to the side to open the chest. Turn your head in the direction that feels best for your neck.

 

 

Be sure that you’re moving out of the Yin postures just as slowly as you’re moving into them. In between postures, give yourself some time in stillness to observe the energy circulating through your body into the places that need it. End in Savasana or a seated meditation.

Let me know what you think of this sequence after trying it! How does it make you feel?

How do you get picky eaters to make healthy choices? I have 5 tips for picky eaters that will help your children try new foods, understand why a balanced diet is necessary, and set them up with healthy dietary habits for life.

Moms know that our most important job is to help our children grow and thrive. Therefore it can be disheartening when our kids start refusing to eat what we provide. Our basic worry is that they’ll starve, so we give in to their desire, which is usually some processed, grain-based “food”. But these foods are high in calories, void of important micronutrients, low in fiber, and break down much too easily into basic sugars which then often damage gut flora. Giving into children’s picky eating can still lead to malnourishment, which is the basis of chronic childhood illnesses in the U.S. today.

Then how do you make your child eat what you provide? The truth is that you can’t unless you threaten them, bribe them, or try hiding the healthy food (like vegetables) in something else they like which is not as healthy (like Kraft Mac n’ Cheese). This does not help your child make conscious healthy choices though. Preferably, they should have some internal motivation to eat healthy foods so that they grow into adults who value healthy eating.

I know this isn’t easy moms, I have a picky eater too. If he could, my son would just each fruit and bread all day. At 8 years old though, he is now turning a corner and making better choices. I would love to share my tips for picky eaters that’s working in our home. I hope that your family will benefit too. Realize that it may take some time for your child to come around. But when they do, they will be set with great habits for life.

Before we get into the picky eating tips, I have another offer for you that you may want to snag now.  Here’s my FREE Guide: 10 Ways to Boost Your Child’s Health & Maintain Your Sanity.  It will help you get your child’s health back on track!

5 Tips for Parents of Picky Eaters 

1. Be persistent

It’s important that you don’t give up. Keep placing healthy foods in front of your child. Do not assume that their palate is set and that they will always be this way. Their tastes will constantly change throughout childhood.

If you keep offering a food, someday they will eat it! Think about Green Eggs & Ham. For example, if you’re wanting your child to eat more vegetables, offer a variety of them and with multiple of ways of cooking them. Maybe they won’t eat broccoli steamed alone, but they will if you have a yummy dip for it. Or perhaps they’ll eat broccoli creamed with potato in a soup or in a stir fry with rice and soy sauce. Maybe you can involve them in the cooking more or ask them what they’d like to have with the broccoli so they feel like they have some control. Just keep offering the broccoli or even another vegetable with similar nutrients.

Broccoli has not been a problem in our house, but eggs has. My son doesn’t like eating too much meat, so we try to include more plant-based proteins, fish, raw dairy, and eggs in our diet. Right now he’s not eating eggs scrambled.  This is a major bummer because he used to devour zucchini and scrambled egg in a yummy burrito. But he will eat “Egg-in-the-hole” which is a piece of bread with a hole cut out of the center in which you fry an over-easy egg. I still offer scrambled eggs & omelets. Sometimes he’ll eat them with organic ketchup, but I will make the egg-in-the hole more often because I’m just thrilled that he’s still eating egg.

2. Model Healthy Eating

Moms, I love to empower you! You are the center of your family and if you’re also the main shopper & cook, then you have much of the control. This also means that you will need to take responsibility! Sorry, but I need to give you some tough love.

Buy healthy foods so your kids can eat healthy foods. Realize that if you’re modeling picky or unhealthy eating, your kids are learning from you. If you’re too busy to cook and prefer to eat out of a box or getting fast food, your kids are also learning that food quality doesn’t matter to you and it’s something they shouldn’t care about either.

If you’re not sure what it means to eat healthy, it’s not your fault! We’ve been given the wrong information from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and their Food Pyramid and MyPlate suggestions. It is becoming evident that these dietary suggestions are not helping our population become healthier. You can read this post for my advice on choosing a healthy diet for your family which is based on traditional diets of people throughout the world and is what most holistic nutritionists would suggest.

3. Make Sure All Parents/Guardians Participate

If you’re trying to make healthy changes at home to curb your child’s picky eating, it’s important that all the adults in your child’s life are also on board with your mission. You may need to point out that it’s not helpful and is actually creating a weird power dynamic if you are the “healthy” and maybe “not as fun” parent, but your partner is the one who gives into the processed foods & treats. Really, this should be a goal for the whole family – to live long healthy lives fueled by whole foods.

Same goes for caregivers and teachers. If you need to, pack a meal for your child when leaving them in someone else’s care. It may also be important for you to pack a lunch for your child at school as well.

Side story: When my son was in Kindergarten (which we tried for 2/3 of the year before pulling him out to homeschool), the teachers loved to emphasize that it was important for kids to make their own choices at lunchtime in the cafeteria. That’s a great message except that the food provided was horrible. To this day my son says that the best part of Kindergarten was being able to drink chocolate milk at lunch which makes me roll my eyes every time.

4. Allow Some Consequences

Admittedly, #3 above has been a challenge in our family. My husband makes different, not as healthy meals for our son. I’ve stayed quiet when teachers and parents of friends have given him a lot of candy. I have also given in here and there, still giving him bread and cold cereal occasionally, but for the most part I’m the constant who is always trying to get him back on track.

Where I really failed was enforcing thorough teeth brushing and flossing, even knowing that he was getting more sugar than I would have liked. I have no excuse other than I’ve been too busy and assumed that what he was doing a good-enough job. My heart sank when I learned at his last dental check-up that he had FOUR (!) cavities. When the dentist recommended fluoride I was even more upset. (Fluoride is a neurotoxin and something we avoid in our house because of my thyroid issues.) After I refused, she said, “well, I guess you’ll just need to eat less sugar, bread, chips, crackers…” That was the answer I wanted my son to hear.

Since that check-up and especially after having two of the cavities filled last week, we’ve had many conversations about healthy eating. I can tell that he’s trying really hard to make better choices, even joining me in drinking celery & cucumber juice in the mornings! He’s also more agreeable with us monitoring his brushing & flossing. So while getting the cavities was not ideal, at least my son learned from the experience.

5. Explain What Happens To Your Body When You Eat Well And When You Don’t

Kids need to know that health begins in the gut. When we’re eating well, our beneficial gut flora is nourished and we experience lots of energy, great sleep, efficient digestion, clear skin, and sharp thinking. When we’re eating too much sugar or another dietary imbalance, we’re feeding pathogenic bacteria in the gut instead of the beneficial species. We can experience problems with energy, sleep, attention, behavior, digestion, skin, may experience many illnesses, and may even develop chronic illnesses and secondary infections.

Try to have discussions about this! You are your child’s best teacher. But if you can’t explain it, I encourage you to seek out a holistic nutritionist to help.

You can also review these articles:

Practical Dietary Advice for Healthy and Happy Kids

What Does It Mean To Be Healthy?

How to Keep Grains in Your Diet and Your Gut Happy

Improve Your Family’s Gut Health, part 1

Improve Your Family’s Gut Health, part 2

I hope this gives you some hope that you can manage your child’s picky eating and that it’s worthwhile to take steps in improving it right now! If you have any other advice for parents, please let us know in the comments!

Well wishes to all…

As the weather begins to warm, cute fluffy animals are not the only forest inhabitants to awaken, but also the disgust-provoking ticks that like to feed off of them. People fear ticks not just for their blood-sucking nature, but also because they can occasionally transmit Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Fever.  It’s best to prepare yourself with these natural tick repellents to help avoid these pesky parasites and the diseases they carry.

You don’t need to boycott nature just to avoid ticks. Your heart and soul would be very deprived, as nature is so healing! It’s best to just be prepared. You can repel them safely and effectively with therapeutic grade essential oils. Yes, there are heavy-duty N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET)-containing tick repellents on the market. However, families like you are becoming more concerned about the side effects of these poisons not just on our health, but on the environment too. Even the Center for Disease Control acknowledges the reluctance to use pesticides in this article, and suggests using these essential oils as alternatives to repel ticks effectively:

CDC recommended essential oils to prevent ticks bites.

 

Unfortunately for me (but fortunately for you, as you will learn from my mistake), I was not prepared with my essential oil blend this weekend when my son and I spent a weekend in the wild. You can hear about our story in the video below. It was horrifying, but I’m glad that it prompted me to write this post so others can benefit.

There are many natural tick sprays you can get from your local health food store. I prefer this blend which uses high quality, therapeutic grade essential oils that are sustainably sourced.

If you’d prefer to DIY, here’s a quick and easy recipe you can use when threatened by ticks:

Tick Repellent Spray

• ~ 2 ounces Fractionated coconut oil (a lovely carrier oil because it’s not greasy!)
• 20-40 drops (total) essential oils from this group, use single oils or in combination: Geranium, Cedarwood, Lemongrass, Peppermint, Thyme, or Rosemary.

Add essential oils to a 2 oz. spray bottle and top off with fractionated coconut oil. Shake gently to mix. If you store it in a cool, dark area when not in use, it should last 2-3 months.

To use, spray directly on skin before going outdoors.

 

Having this blend handy may have helped us avoid taking home 3 ticks from our weekend away. It would also have been wise to check ourselves before getting in the car and then showering right away when we got home (to make sure they’re not in your hair).

You should know that ticks usually need to be attached to the skin for 36-48 hours in order to pass on diseases (symptoms then show up within a week of infection). We knew that the ticks on my son had just attached, so weren’t worried about disease. However, I was sure to treat the wounds with lavender essential oil to speed up the recovery.

I hope you find these natural tick repellents useful so you can enjoy your time outdoors to the fullest!  Please let us know if you have any questions or important information to share in the comments!  If you enjoyed this post, please consider sharing it with your friends.  Well wishes to you…

Words have power! They can inspire us and lift us up. They can shame us and bring us down. Yet even though most of us acknowledge the influence of words, we don’t realize how our simple every-day speech can affect the connection to ourself and others. When we speak mindfully with the intention to relate, we tap into our natural, compassionate state of being, helping us become a more loving parent, friend, partner, and human-being.

Why I Started To Speak More Lovingly

For the longest time, my negative way of speaking was influenced by my family and social circles. I was sarcastic, cynical, and would say things I didn’t really mean to be funny and interesting.

I started to become more mindful of speaking in a positive manner in massage school. We learned how to speak to clients in a way that made them feel supported. We also learned how to speak about ourselves in a more loving way. Our instructor warned us seriously, “Be careful, your body believes everything you say!”

It was the first time I considered the impact my own words had on self-esteem and physical manifestation of our thoughts. Never again did I complain about a “bad” back or other body part that was simply sending pain signals to the brain in it’s own language. I embraced the idea that I should be talking to and about my body in a positive manner so that it could heal.

Still, I had much more room to go in speaking gently. Several years later at the end of a Yoga class, one of my students came up to me and we were talking about Chinese Medicine school (which I was in the middle of). I must have been talking about a test and I said something like, “I’m not going to kill myself over it”. The student’s expression turned to one of horror and she said, “nothing is worth killing yourself over”. Of course I was kidding, but she reflected back to me that it wasn’t funny. To some people this could be very disturbing. And it made a very deep impression on me because I realized that I was supposed to be modeling love & peace for my students and I wasn’t quite there.

Framework for Speaking Positively: Right Speech and Non-violent Communication

When I made the intention to speak more mindfully, I turned my attention to my meditation practice. I also immersed myself in the Buddhism classes at Insight Meditation Center.

Later on when I became a parent, I learned more about Non-Violent Communication which is very similar (but without the religious connotation, so might be more comfortable with some people although I feel that Buddhism is a philosophy for living peacefully, not a religion!) The Attachment Parenting play group we occasionally attended used NVC as a means to connect deeply with the kids and build relationships among the parents. Since I had the background in Right Speech, NVC was not much of a stretch. I’ve done my best to adhere to it’s guidelines ever since.

I was lucky to already be familiar with these concepts, but they are certainly not mainstream. Here’s more information about each so you can decide if either is intriguing and how to apply some of the simple principles.

Right Speech

Right Speech is one of the moral disciplines of the Eight-fold Path in Buddhism and includes these 4 aspects:

1. No false speech (lies)

2. Do not slander or discredit others

3. Abstain from abusive language

4. No idle talk or gossiping

It supports the saying we’ve all heard:

“If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all!”

When one practices Right Speech, we speak honestly and are more authentic in our communication. We mindfully promote harmony and use language to lesson anger and tension in our social groups.

Practicing Right Speech is not easy, especially in this age of social media and with an inflamed political atmosphere.

In Right Speech From the Buddhist Eightfold Path, the author writes:

“Sometimes people justify harsh speech because they are speaking on behalf of a worthy cause. Ultimately, stirring up acrimony is planting karmic seeds that will hurt the cause we think we’re fighting for.

When you live in a world of acrimonious speech, practice of Right Speech requires Right Effort (another tenet on The Path) and sometimes even courage. But it is an essential part of the Buddhist path.”

Nonviolent Communication (NVC)

The Center for Nonviolent Communication is a good place to begin your education on this practice. They have many helpful articles, resources, and even have a training program for those who feel called to share this training with others. NVC was created by Marshall B. Rosenberg in response to the increasing violence he’s observed in our culture. Basically, practicing NVC consists of these four components (these are taken directly from the website):

1. Observation: Observation without evaluation consists of noticing concrete things and actions around us. We learn to distinguish between judgment and what we sense in the present moment, and to simply observe what is there.

2. Feeling: When we notice things around us, we inevitably experience varying emotions and physical sensations in each particular moment. Here, distinguishing feelings from thoughts is an essential step to the NVC process.

3. Needs: All individuals have needs and values that sustain and enrich their lives. When those needs are met, we experience comfortable feelings, like happiness or peacefulness, and when they are not, we experience uncomfortable feelings, like frustration. Understanding that we, as well as those around us, have these needs is perhaps the most important step in learning to practice NVC and to live empathically.

4. Request: To make clear and present requests is crucial to NVC’s transformative mission. When we learn to request concrete actions that can be carried out in the present moment, we begin to find ways to cooperatively and creatively ensure that everyone’s needs are met.

If you’re wanting to speak more mindfully, it needs to be a conscious shift you make in the heart first, then the mind. Know that it will take some time and don’t feel too bad if you regress back to old patterns of communication. You’re doing your best and that’s what matters most. I still yell at my son everyday, but it’s the practice of Right Speech and NVC that I’m engaging with 95% of the time that makes it much easier for us to forgive each other and reconnect. I hope it does the same for you and all of your relationships.

Have you practiced mindful speech? How has it worked for you? I’d love to know in the comments!