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Falcon Healing Arts - Providing you with knowledge and support to care for your family naturally.
Home
Blog
About Me
Testimonials
Natural Products
Work With Brandy
Contact Me
Essential Oil Classes
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About Me
  • Testimonials
  • Natural Products
  • Work With Brandy
  • Contact Me
  • Essential Oil Classes
Autumn, Emotional health, Parenting, Personal Development, Recipes, Seasons, Yoga

9 Super Special Ways to Celebrate the Autumn Equinox

friends celebrating autumn leaves

Life is more fun and meaningful when you align your rhythms with nature.  Plus, the seasons can teach you so much about how to approach healthy living!  I’ve gathered some ideas for celebrating the Autumn Equinox that will help you connect to yourself, to your family, and to nature during this very special time time of the year.

What’s So Special About the Autumn Equinox?

The first day of Autumn is more than just a change in weather and pretty seasonal colors. The Autumn Equinox represents the balance of light and dark and a preparation for great change.

We can perceive the dark as being the absence of the sun since we’re continuing to have shorter days and longer nights until Winter. Symbolically, Autumn is a gradual letting go – a movement toward stillness, emptiness, and even death.

This balance of appreciating what you have (light) and letting go of what you no longer need (dark) is modeled for us in nature during this time as well. Deciduous trees undergo huge transformations by shedding their leaves. They trust that this needs to happen in order for renewal and more growth. Animals pare down their activity and focus on storing food and energy. Letting go is necessary and important in order to sustain life.

There can be a sense of loss during this season too, so it’s important for families to spend more time with each other and develop closer, stronger, more loving and supportive bonds.

Here’s some ways to celebrate Autumn by yourself or with your family and friends to honor the change in season.

9 Special Ways to Celebrate The Autumn Equinox

1. Go On A Nature Walk

Let’s start with the easiest way to appreciate nature: just walk among it. There is so much to notice, especially in Fall with the change in colors and falling leaves.

But what else might you notice when you walk? What’s the difference in smell? How are the animals behaving? Talk about this with your family and friends. Or if you’re doing this alone, maybe you can sit down and journal about what you’re noticing.

2. Make An Autumn Wreath

From your nature walk pick up what nature as discarded and add them to a wreath to adorn your home. Acorns, multi-colored leaves, dried berries and corn, grain grasses, vines, and dried end-of-summer flowers, can all be woven or glued onto a circular wreath and hung on your front door.

Each time you enter your home you’ll be reminded of the change we all need to embrace during this time.

3. Celebrate With An Autumn Equinox Feast

You don’t need to wait until Thanksgiving for a special feast! And all of Autumn can be a time for you to express gratitude for what is bountiful in your life.

Make a special meal with seasonal fruits, vegetables, and spices. These may be different than what’s around in November with Thanksgiving. Right now in California we have lots of figs, grapes, corn, and late summer squashes. The different food makes it more unique! You can talk about what Autumn means to you as your family gathers.

You might want to try cooking a dish with acorns which are known to symbolize strength, potential, fertility, and new beginnings. They are also a traditional food in many places in the world, so a good food for you to become reacquainted with!

Acorns can be fermented, ground, and made into a flour to use in many yummy recipes. Here’s an excellent article that will teach you just about everything you need to know about acorns.

Enjoy!

4. Do A Special Yoga And Meditation Practice

I love to do Sun Salutations to honor the Equinoxes and the Solstices alike. Surya Namaskara is traditionally done as a prayer, a prostration to the Sun, so fitting to celebrate the change in season and the meaning behind it.

I used to do 108 Sun Salutations in my younger years since it’s an auspicious number. Now that I’m 47 and a little slower-moving, I realize how ridiculous that is. Intention is most important, not how much you do!

Just do as many Sun Salutations of versions A, B, or C that you feel comfortable with, bringing your intention into each breath and movement.

Or if Sun Salutations are not your thing, you can choose to do this Autumn Yin Yoga practice that targets the Lung and Large intestine meridians that are associated with this season.

You can simply do a Gratitude Meditation instead.

Or, do all three recommendations! That’s what I like to do!

Autumn yin yoga poses
From upper left corner clockwise: Seated Meditation, Quarter Dog, Supine Twist, Twisted Child’s Pose.

5. Candle Ceremony

Light a candle in the dark to represent the balance of energy at the Equinox. You can write down all the things you’d like to clear from your life. Tear them up or carefully burn them in the candle. Then you can write down all the things you now want to bring into your life.

6. Have A Harvest Party With Friends

If you have a garden, is there any better way to enjoy your bounty than to share with others? You can get some friends and neighbors together who also have gardens. Each person can bring fruit, vegetables, flowers, grains – whatever they have plenty of. You can trade items and talk about what to do with them in Autumn while enjoying some seasonal teas and treats.

7. Clear and Bless Your Home

Bring balance to your home with an energetic clearing. This can be done many ways, depending on the healing practices you study.

I love to burn a Sage wand and go around to the corner of each room in my house, asking for all negativity to be cleared from our home and our lives.

Then I do the same with Palo Santo which has a more revitalizing energy to it. I go around and ask that we bring in more happiness, health, and prosperity to fill the space.

The same can be done with essential oils, though I do this more regularly and not as a special ritual. This diffuser blend is fabulous at clearing negative energy:

Clear The Space Diffuser Blend

  • 2 drops Lemongrass
  • 2 drops Clary Sage
  • 2 drops Lime

Lemongrass clears stagnant energy and negativity. Clary Sage clears confusion and brings in more clarity and intuitive guidance. Lime cleanses the heart and mind, promoting more gratitude for the gift of life. The combination of these three also smells amazing!

Clear negative energy essential oil diffuser blend

8. Fallen Leaf Ceremony

This is a fun and quick one! If you have enough fallen leaves around your property, rake them all up into a pile. Pick up an armful of leaves and throw them up in the air, mindful of what you’d like to let go of this season to create more harmony in your life.

If you’re doing this in a group, it’s fun for everyone to shout out what their letting go of. Then afterwards you can all talk about what you’re making space for in your life, what you’re now wanting to bring in.

9. Honor A Tree In Your Neighborhood

Spend some time picnicking under a tree’s shade, or hugging a tree, or singing to a tree. You can bury special items like herbs or crystals in the ground near the tree with a blessing.

These suggestions may sound silly to some, but I don’t care. Our disconnection to nature is what’s fueling much of the dissent in our world right now and that needs to change.

One thing we can all agree on is that we have a symbiotic relationship with trees and we need more of them. So you can also use this special time to plant some new ones.

Want To Learn More About Autumn Equinox Celebrations?

You can check out my Pinterest Board here for more ideas and recipes!


Which of these Autumn Equinox Celebration ideas is your favorite? Do you have any other ideas of how you can celebrate Autumn in your home? Let’s hear about them in the comments!

Couple celebrating the Autumn Equinox
Emotional health, Kids Health, Meditation, Meditation Video, Parenting, Personal Development

Mindfulness Meditation for Happy Kids and Families

Mindfulness meditation kid and family

Kids are dealing with so many health issues and pressures these days!  It may be hard for them to name their feelings and this can result in meltdowns or growing emotional problems. Mindfulness meditation is a doorway to these feelings that they can experience in their bodies.  But kids meditation makes the biggest difference if it’s done consistently and modeled by the adults in their lives.

My son and I created this kids meditation not just for children, but for the whole family.  Together, you can train up your mindfulness skills, develop emotional intelligence, promote anger management, and learn to treat each other (and yourselves!) with more kindness.  These mindfulness techniques bring balanced awareness to the body, heart, and mind.  They form a framework that can help your children grow into compassionate beings who approach life with gratitude, hope, and bold enthusiasm!

You can watch the video below, or just read through the instructions and try it on your own.  It would be really helpful for your family to talk afterwards, or to have some time for personal journaling.

If you want even more help dealing with emotional stress, check out this guide which you can incorporate into your mindfulness practice.  Enjoy!

self acupressure guide

Meditation Video for Kids and Families

How to Meditate with Your Kids

Take a minute to get a small object that is precious to you. It could be a beautiful rock, crystal, button, or even a small toy.  Don’t worry if you can’t find anything right now, you can just use your hands instead.

You can sit up with your legs crossed or lay down in a comfortable spot on the floor.  Let’s place your special object over your belly button.

Dalai Lama meditation quote for kids to end world violence

Meditation for Kids Instructions

Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.

Feel the precious item on your belly rise and fall as you breathe or feel your belly moving into your hand.

It rises up as you breathe in and it gently falls when you breathe out.

Let your breath be smooth and slow so it feels easy and it feels good.

Mindfulness of the Body

Now we’re going to use your imagination to make your mind more full and aware.

See your precious item shining with a bright white light, like a little star.  If you’re using your hand, imagine that a ball of white light comes out of your hand.  This ball of light sinks down into your belly and shines in every direction.

It goes down into each leg: your right leg, your left leg, and each toe.  It goes up into your chest and head and out through each arm and every finger.

See your whole body shining with this white light from inside, as bright and as powerful as our sun.  Can you feel the power of your body?  Does it feel warm or cool?  Do you feel heavy or do you feel like you’re floating like a balloon?

Mindfulness of Emotions

Keep your body shining bright and now we’re going to place your precious item or your hand on the center of your chest where your heart is.

How are you feeling in your heart right now?  Are you feeling love, happiness, anger, fear, boredom, or excited? 

Whatever you’re feeling is absolutely normal!  We all have these feelings.  But sometimes they can get a little too big.  Sometimes our anger may make us hurt ourselves or others with our words or with our bodies.  Sometimes when we get too excited we may knock things over. 

Let’s shine this bright light on our  feelings right now so you know what you’re feeling and you can control what your body does when you feel this way.  Sometimes when we shine this light on our feelings, they change into something else!

As you take some more deep breaths, maybe your light shines even brighter.

Now we’re going to take off our precious item, put it to the side, and stretch your arms up overhead.  If you’re laying down you can slowly roll over and come back up to sit.

You can keep this light burning bright is side you for as long as you remember to do so, letting it relax you and comfort you from the inside like it’s giving you a big hug and a warm smile.

And take a moment to actually give yourself a big hug.

And if you’re doing this with your family, you can give them a big hug too.

Remember that you can do this mindfulness meditation anytime! I hope it keeps your heart open and loving.

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family mindfulness meditation for stress relief
Kids Health, Parenting, Personal Development, Women's health

Homeschooling Mom Encouragement Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

homeschool mom encouragement

The Coronavirus Pandemic and the social distancing required to slow the spread, forced schools to close, leaving parents to care for their kids at home for an uncertain amount of time whether they want to or not.  Are you one of these moms?  I know that you’re probably feeling fear from both the viral threat and for homeschooling your child for the first time.  Trust me though, as a homeschooling parent of fours years, I know you can do this!  Here’s my 5 tips on how to stay sane homeschooling amid the Coronavirus Pandemic.  This homeschooling mom encouragement will boost both your immunity and self confidence! 

Before you read my tips or watch me talk about them in the video below, you may want to get my free stress-relieving acupressure guide which will help both you and your child with this transition!  These six acupressure points not only relieve tension and stress, but will help you all sleep better at night which in turn will keep your immunity strong!

self acupressure guide

5 Tips for Dealing With Your Fears – Homeschooling Mom Encouragement Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic

Focus On Self-care and Wellness as a New Homeschool Mom

You’re going to have more time, so it’s best to place your energy where it counts the most! Self-care should be your main focus and will help you better serve your family, as well as bolster your body from infection.

This virus, as is the case with other viruses, is opportunistic. It can only infect you if you are weak. Support your health and your family’s by:

  • Prioritizing better sleep – It’s still a good idea to have an early bedtime. But now that you’re homeschooling, let the family sleep in!
  • Establishing a relaxed schedule – There’s no need to rush your transitions, which can create stress and diminish immunity.
  • Creating alone time – Being home with your kids can be intense. Make sure you still have some alone time, even if it means giving your child a screen to entertain them. Your emotional health is very important right now.
  • Adopting a home yoga practice – Yoga can support your health on all levels. Try this yoga class video that will help you relieve tension as you wake in the morning and help you start the day with ease!
  • Supplementing vitamins and minerals – You should be getting healthy doses of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin D in your diet (and ideally Vitamin D from the sun), but chances are you won’t be getting enough from your food, even if you’re eating whole, organic foods. Find some supplements you like, or try my recommendations here.
  • Feeding your gut beneficial bacteria – Gut health is the basis of your immunity. Read about it’s importance, how it’s damaged and how it’s supported here. Basically, you’ll want to be eating more fermented foods and supplementing with probiotics, but it’s also important to avoid stress, sugar, and pharmaceutical drugs which all diminish your gut health!

This wellness kit comes with the vitamins I use as well as digestive enzymes, probiotics, tension-relieving lotion, and mood enhancing essential oils that will support everyone’s body, mood, and mental focus!

doTERRA Healthy Habits supplement kit for holistic health
Buying this kit also gets you a doTERRA Wholesale account, 25% off of essential oils and natural products for a year.

Tend To Your Home and Family as you Homeschool

I know it’s hard to stay home, especially this time of year! It was easy in Winter when the energy was low and was a natural time to rest and reflect. But in Spring, it’s natural to be more active and energetic. You will simply have to channel that energy into tending your family and your home.

Here’s some ideas:

  • Make all of your meals – Avoid processed food and start making healthy meals with whole foods, if you’re not doing so already. Ask your kids to help you so you get support and they can learn important life skills. Not sure how to get your kids to eat whole foods? Check out my article Practical Dietary Advice for Happy and Healthy Kids.
  • Establish a green cleaning routine – Switch out your toxic household products and clean with natural, essential oil based cleansers instead. Have complete control over the ingredients by using DIY recipes. (We’ll focus on Green Cleaning in April – in the meantime ask me if you need any suggestions or recipes).
  • Organize your pantries
  • Clean out your refrigerators
  • Wash your walls & windows
  • Clean your oven
  • Work in your garden or establish one
  • Hike in open, outside places with your family since fresh air and sunshine are important for general health

Notice that most of these suggestions circle back to self-care?

Educate Yourself As You Educate Your Child

If you’ve never homeschooled your child, it’s the perfect time to learn how! Believe me, you can do this. Just remember not to get caught in a common new homeschool mom trap of trying to re-create the school environment at home.

Your relationship is much different than the one your kids had with their teacher. They have your love. Be lighthearted in your approach, relax and trust that they are learning, even when you’re doing fun stuff like cooking and cleaning together!

There are tons of homeschool resources that you can Google. For online courses, I suggest looking into Outschool.com. For math, we love Prodigygame.com and also use Singapore Math workbooks. We do science kits from melscience.com. The rest is very personal for my family. My son reads alone for a portion of the day, but we also read to him classical child history books and fun fiction. For writing, he does copy work from the novels he’s reading or he journals.

You will need to figure out what works for your family. This is part of the learning process and it can be a really fun discovery! Or see if you can just follow the same curriculum your school was using if your child does well with it.

This can also be a great time for YOU to learn new skills that you can be refining while your kids are doing their studies. Take online classes yourself. Maybe you can explore ways to earn income online. I love working from home! I can still explore my passion of connecting families with natural health resources and helping them be healers in their own home. It’s possible for me to do this while staying home with my son and contributing to my family’s income. If you want to learn more about my business and becoming one of my partners, read on here.

Change Your Mindset – Embrace Being a Homeschool Mom!

Again, you can do this! Homeschool moms need more encouragement in the beginning. Much of your confidence is going to come with time as you see your family thrive with more relaxed learning and lifestyle habits. But it’s also extremely important that you change your attitude and mindset too.

Remember what you’re trying to create for your family. If you remain reluctant to homeschool and complain all the time to your friends, then this will be a miserable experience for you. One of the many positive aspects of social distancing with the Coronavirus pandemic is that you can heal your relationship with your family as you spend time together.

My son was in public school until halfway through Kindergarten when he begged to be pulled out. I was already aware that he was having emotional problems and would do anything to protect him. The dynamic was completely different when we started hanging out with homeschool families vs. when I would hang out with the public school moms.

The biggest difference I’ve noticed in our homeschool groups: we, parents, love hanging out with our kids. We don’t complain about our kids. We understand that this is a privilege to teach them and shape their lives based on family love & values. My love for my son is what fuels my confidence. Each day he grows I feel validated that we’re making the right choice for him. It’s that positive mindset shift that makes our homeschool journey a success.

Adopt A Gratitude Practice – Everything Has a Silver Lining

Adopting a gratitude practice with also help you with the mindset shift I suggest above. Everyday upon waking, I recommend sitting up in bed and thinking about the things you’re grateful for in your life. Be grateful for everything and everyone who supports you. You can do this meditation too anytime you’re feeling that you’re caught in negativity or fear.


Try not to get caught up in the fear of the Coronavirus pandemic. If you’re taking necessary distancing precautions and boosting your health with the guidelines I shared above, chances are you will remain healthy or will recover quickly. I also hope that this confidence in taking care of yourself and family spills over into your role as a homeschooling mom. Wellness practices and homeschooling are complementary skills!

If you enjoyed this post, share this homeschooling mom encouragement with your friends! And let me know if you have any questions in the comments below. Stay well!

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homeschool mom encouragement amid coronavirus pandemic
Boost Energy, Kids Health, Natural Remedies, Parenting, Whole Food Diet

How To Get Your Child To Drink More Water

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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Kids Health, Meditation, Parenting, Personal Development

How To Share Love Through Your Words

Share love through words peaceful communication

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!

Chronic Disease, Gut Health, Kids Health, Natural Remedies, Parenting, Whole Food Diet

Practical Dietary Advice For Healthy & Happy Kids

healthy kids diet advice

Taking care of kids in this day and age can be tough, especially when it comes to healthy eating! If we didn’t grow up eating wholesome food, we may not know where to start. However, it is possible to learn the basics of holistic nutrition, even if you were raised on processed food (as I was). In this article, I offer you some practical dietary advice for healthy kids.

Kids Eat Real Food!

Kids need REAL food to grow and thrive. The biggest pet peeve of mine is the assumption that kid & adult food is different and that they will only eat processed food. Of course mac n’cheese, chicken nuggets, and pizza are acceptable to most kids if you buy into that logic and that’s all you feed them. These manufactured meals offer tons of calories, but very little nutritional value. A child raised on this diet is likely to become overweight but at the same time be severely malnourished.

The increase in chronic disease and health challenges of children in this country are largely do to nutrient deficiencies, poor digestion, and toxic overload (also lack of exercise, sleep, and play).

It takes more time and persistence, but continually offering your child real homemade food is the most loving thing you can do for them. I understand the challenge. Some kids are very picky and their tastes continually change. But it’s still wise to be persistent in offering them a variety of whole food, knowing that they will one day make better choices.

My son still doesn’t eat kale and spinach (unless they’re in smoothies), but he will eat broccoli, peas, carrots, and sweet potatoes. And now that he’s a reasonable 8 year old, we’re able to get him to eat even more veggies in an Asian stir fry or noodle dish. You need to be persistent and continue to model what a healthy diet looks like and your kids will come around eventually!

Dietary Advice For Healthy Kids

Protein, Fat, and Carbohydrates are the basic macrobiotics for balanced nutrition.

If you are under the impression that fat is bad, I’m sorry, but you have been greatly misled by our government and the American Heart Association. Read The One Surprising Thing You Need To Add To Your Diet to learn about why good quality fat is essential for our health and why you should reconsider it’s worth.

Basic dietary guidelines/macrobiotics by age:

healthy kids diet advice

~ Complex carbohydrates should consist of mostly organic vegetables and fruits in a 2:1 ratio with no more than 3 servings of whole grains per day. Try seasonal vegetables & fruits, oatmeal, rice, polenta, and buckwheat.

~ Protein should be organic and sourced naturally. Animal sources contain the highest amount of protein per serving. Make sure the animals were fed organic food diets without hormones or processed feeds. Try organic grass fed beef, organic chicken, wild caught salmon, organic whole fat yogurt, organic eggs, nuts and nut butter, and beans/lentils.

~ Fat is the main source of energy for infants from breastmilk. It continues to be important for a child’s brain to develop as they start to explore different foods. Try avocados and their oil, coconut and it’s oil or milk, flax oil, olives and their oil, egg yolk, organic butter, organic nuts & butters, and deep sea fish.

You don’t need to be super strict about the percentages of each macrobiotic, but just be sure that each group is represented and that your child is eating lots of vegetables, protein, and plenty of natural fat.

Dietary Supplements for Kids

Vitamins and minerals are the micronutrients that we all need for our cells to function at their optimum. Unfortunately, farming practices in this country have severely depleted the soil. Even organic fruits and vegetables do not have the nutrients they once did decades ago. Either we need to grow 100% of our food, making sure to feed the soil continuously through organic fertilizers & composting, or we need to supplement.

Choosing supplements can be challenging. A good place to start is visiting your local health food store and speaking to a clerk who has experience using the supplements. My son currently takes dōTERRA’s A2Z chewable multivitamin and IQ Mega Omega-3 oil (he actually asks to have his fish oil everyday!)

Gut Health Basics

Kids love kombucha

My son admiring our homegrown kombucha

I’ve already written about gut health extensively, so revisit these articles to understand what damages gut health (more than most people realize!) and how you can get it back on track. It’s the basis of strong immunity, so an aspect of nutrition you don’t want to ignore!

Improve Your Family’s Gut Health, part 1

Improve Your Family’s Gut Health, part 2

Ideally, try to add fermented vegetables to your child’s meals 1-2 times per day. Pickled cucumbers and carrots, yogurt with no added sugar (add in bananas for the sweetness), and kombucha are usually well accepted. I also suggest supplementing with a probiotic. My son loves dōTERRA’s PB Assist Jr.

I hope these suggestions are clear and get you off to a good start! If you need more help, please post in the comments or reach out to me personally with questions.

You can also revisit these blog posts:

What Does It Mean To Be Healthy?

A Simple Guide To An Organic Lifestyle

3 Quick, Healthy Breakfasts That Will Set You Up For Success

And here’s my favorite websites for kids’ nutrition that will give you even more guidance:

Nourishing Meals – Alyssa Sergersten

Weelicious – Catherine McCord

Weston A. Price Foundation – Children’s Health

——–

References:

Children’s Health Technique Seminar, Annette Schippel, DC & Doris Kutz-Compton, DC, July 22-23, 2017

Do you have any dietary advice for healthy kids that would benefit other parents?  Please let us know in the comments!

Well wishes to you all…

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healthy kids diet advice

Kids Health, Parenting, Personal Development

Should You Allow Natural Consequences For Unhealthy Habits?

I often hear myself saying, “sometimes it needs to get really bad before it gets better”.

I might be referring to politics or a sticky social situation that prompts change. I’ve said it to clients too who have a health condition that they’ve let go, but are now committed to resolving. But last week was the first time I found myself saying it to my family.

You see, my son has found Minecraft.

I love seeing him so passionate about something, I’m awed by his creations, pleased with how engaged his is with other online players, and proud of his growing confidence (he’s even talking about doing Minecraft YouTube tutorials!).

But…it’s becoming a bit much. That was obvious when he had a meltdown at the end of a day that featured way too much screen time.

After he cooled down and we talked about what happened, he admitted that the game was negatively affecting him. He also suggested that I write a blog post about it to help other parents! So here I am, following through.

I try to encourage autonomy for my son whenever possible. I do my best to educate him on healthy food choices, dental hygiene, and bathing, but for the most part, we trust that he will either make the best choice for himself or learn from decisions that weren’t in his best interest. But now with this digital obsession, it is clear that he cannot self-regulate and is relying on us to provide limits to avoid anymore physical, mental, and emotional harm.

Because of the meltdown, my son is more aware of the negative effects of screens, so I suppose allowing this consequence did work. But I felt horrible that we had to get to that place in order for him to appreciate our screen limits and I had never intended for him to actually learn the lesson this way.

After reflecting on this for awhile, it seems to me that natural consequences are worthwhile only if the person…

1. Understands cause and effect and is mindful of what they are experiencing.

2. Has the maturity to learn from the mistake.

3. Is not permanently damaged from the consequence.

4. Actually cares about their health!

I see examples of this issue coming up in the clinic in different ways. I have a few parents right now dealing with wonderfully willful children who are not making the best decisions. The parents are concerned about chronic infections or behavior problems and are needing to change their lifestyle choices, encourage their children to follow through with our treatment plan by taking some herbs/supplements, and to establish healthy habits like dressing warmer. For if they continue to get sick often or have emotional imbalances, it negatively impacts other areas of their life. The children are not yet making the connection that their poor choices are worsening their condition.

Should you allow natural consequences for unhealthy habits? Will your child learn better this way? Or will the message be lost on them? Of course this is totally up to you to decide, and your answers maybe different depending on the situation.

Perhaps the next question you should ask though is:

Do you really want the situation to get bad before you implement positive changes?!

Please let us know what you think in the comments!

Emotional health, Meditation, Parenting, Personal Development, Women's health, Yoga

3 Big Reasons Why You Need To Prioritize Self-Care Right Now

“Self-care? What’s that?”, a fellow homeschooling mom joked when I told her what I was writing about this week.

I know that many moms can relate. We do so much for our families. For whatever reason, we tend to put our needs last. But that should stop – for our sake and for those close to us!

Now is the perfect time to shift your priorities, placing greater importance on your well-being. Why now? I’ll explain that and also give you ideas about how to implement these changes, below.

Why You Need to Prioritize Self-care Right Now

1. You’ll stay healthy well into Winter

If you look around in nature and allow yourself to feel it’s slowing rhythm, it becomes apparent that this is the time of year for more warmth, rest, and reflection in preparation for more challenging times in Winter.

If you ignore these cues, your body will not adjust well and you’re more likely to get sick. The more depleted your energy stores & immune system strength, the more likely you’ll end up with repeated illnesses and secondary infections.

How do you take care of yourself now and make it last?

It’s a good idea to:

  • Keep your body warm.

  • Eat warm, well-cooked meals made with seasonal foods.

  • Allow for plenty of downtime, especially approaching the holidays.

  • Consider supplementing – Take Vitamin C if you’re not able to get 7 daily servings of fruits & vegetables and Vitamin D if you did not get a lot of sun exposure over the summer.

  • See a natural health practitioner for wellness visits.

  • Get daily exercise, but be careful not to over do it.

  • Spend time outside connecting with nature.

  • Get plenty of sleep

These are the basics for holistic self-care that every family member can use.

You may want to make sure that you’re focusing on YOUR NEEDS first though, and then offer these to your family members in turn. Don’t worry, your not going to forget taking care of your children! It’s simply not in your nature. But you’re likely to forget about yourself if you don’t make this mental shift soon.

2. You’ll discover what nourishes you deeply

By allowing yourself more downtime this Fall, you’ll give yourself more space to reflect on what you truly need. It’s different for all of us.

  • Some of us need more alone time.
  • Some of us need to be with friends & family.
  • Some may need to create art, music, and share their talents with others.
  • Some just need time to exercise and connect with their bodies.
  • Some may have a desperate need to get out of the house and work a little.

Does the activity you’re choosing fill you up and make you excited about life? This is just one of many questions you can ask yourself when considering what to do in your precious self-care time.

Eg. Eating a pint of ice cream, dropping back a few glasses of wine and watching TV may relieve stress, but they are not choices that would nourish you to the core. This is the time to make healthy choices that last, without any negative side effects!

Also, it’s important to note that if you think you’ve been giving yourself what you need but it’s not working, you’d probably benefit from changing your approach. Sometimes the mind and ego get in the way, thinking that they know best, but they really don’t. And sometimes, what you need may feel a little strange at first, because we’re so used to engaging with ourselves in different and often unhelpful ways.

Eg. If you’re stressed out, exhausted, and try to solve this with hard exercise but are not seeing any benefit, you shouldn’t lose hope. Actually, what you were doing was not what you needed. In this case, a gentle yoga class and meditation would be more appropriate, even though it may seem strange and uncomfortable initially.

3. You’ll Model Self-care For Your Family and Support Them Better

Fellow yoga & mindfulness teacher Hunter Clarke-Fields boldly says in her article Making Yourself A Priority Isn’t Selfish, It’s Your Responsibility that “If you are not taking care of you, you are gypping your children and your family. You are offering them a second-rate version of you. And you are role-modeling a life of ‘not worthy.'”

  • Do you wear your busyness like a badge?
  • Do you think you’re not worthy of rest & relaxation?
  • Are you afraid to spend money on yourself?
  • Are your kids’ activities more important than your own?
  • And are these the messages you want to teach your children?

Some people may think this is easy for me to say since I only have one child. But believe me, I have a very demanding child AND I homeschool him AND have I have a business with clients who rely on me to be “whole” AND I do not have any child care help other than my husband in the evening hours.

I’ve had to create time for myself because I know that everyone close to me will suffer if I don’t take care of my physical, mental, & emotional health. And I want to be on this planet, engaging with everyone as fully as possible for as long as possible.

So there are some non-negotiable self-care activities that I engage in every day: (1) a spiritually deep morning yoga practice and (2) self-massage/stretching/meditation before bed. I try to squeeze in more (like an evening walk, a hot bath, knitting, and journaling) as need be.

My son understands very well now at 7 years old that I need to do these things to be the happy, loving mom we both want me to be. And I love that he’s getting a fabulous education in self-care.

So, Are You Ready To Focus on YOU?

There’s no better time to focus on what really matters – your health and happiness. Shifting the focus to you is not selfish. It’s the most loving thing you can do for yourself, your family, your friends, and your community. You will come to understand that you are a gift to the world.

Do you know what will nourish you to the core?

Can you make space to focus on it now?

If not, what are you waiting for?

Please reach out if you need help figuring out your self-care routine. We can also discuss as a community if you’d like to share in the comments.  Well wishes…

Kids Health, Parenting, Whole Food Diet, Women's health

Healthy Food At the Ballpark? Yes! Or, No Fun!?

When you’re at a fun event with your kids, like a baseball game or an amusement park, what’s your approach when it comes to feeding your family ?

You like to…

(A) … pack your own food because it’s way better than what they’re offering at the event.

(B) … buy the best quality food of what’s offered.

(C) … let go of all the rules! You buy what your kids want because this event is so special!

I would love to be the mom who adopts (C)! But I know too much about the devastating effects of sugar and how easily our gut health can be damaged. So I’m a mixture of (A) and (B), and as I’m reminded everyday by my 7 year-old son, that’s not very fun.

Just last night, our family of 3 attended the Giants vs. Brewers game at AT&T Park. Usually it’s just my husband and son who go to the games. But we bought an extra ticket last night so I could attend too. It became clear pretty quickly though that my presence was cramping their style.

I gasped at the grocery food choices they made for the train ride up to San Francisco. We had to negotiate juice drinks, for the ones they picked were too sweet. And once we arrived at the ballpark, my son headed straight for the kettle corn booth. I begged him to get clam chowder or something more substantial. This was his dinner! But it was part of the routine he had with his dad. He did not want to deviate and I did not want to get in the middle of it (yet again), so I let it go, but put my foot down about no churros or cotton candy.

There was a time when the choices were: momma’s milk or avocado?

I kind of miss those days!

Going to games now 6 years later, my son has many choices of not-so-great food.

Now that I gave up on my son & husband, what was I going to eat? I was overwhelmed with the dilemma of whether to remain the health conscious mother who models what is best for the whole family or to let loose with the rules. I decided to make a huge trek across the park and down to field level (we were at the very top). And at the very bottom after passing booth after booth of fried foods and questionable meat products I found:

Vegetables!

That’s right, there’s a little oasis among the vendor maze called The Garden that sells antipasti and salads. I was so happy, I didn’t even ask if they were organic vegetables. Ignorance is bliss when your choices of healthy food are this limited!

I hiked back to to the top level with a huge smile. On the way, I noticed a Ghirardelli vendor waving a picture of ice cream at toddler-height as the large family in front of me passed him. “Interesting”, I thought, “they’re marketing to the kids!” On I went, but the ice cream stayed on my mind.

I gleefully wolfed down my meal, satisfied that I was getting a lot of filling fat from the marinated olives that made up the majority of the bowl. Before I finished, I talked my son into having some mushrooms & tomatoes.

Then something in me shifted.

I really wanted that ice cream.

I got some.

I didn’t get just a scoop of ice cream.

I got a hot fudge sundae.

My son couldn’t believe it! Mom’s eating ice cream and sharing it too!

I was cool again, just for dessert. We had our fill and put the rest down. I didn’t have any guilt because I had such a healthy dinner. My only regret was not insisting that my son have olives before getting ice cream – he had a mild sugar surge that could’ve been prevented. But it passed and he ended up being fine too.

So what’s my point here, besides a little venting?

Balance.

We could all use a bit more balance in our lives, right? Especially since my son is pretty healthy (we were back on track with wholesome meals today), splurging is not so bad as long as we know how to tend to our gut to prevent imbalance.

But I think there’s a lesson in here for parents in group C too as we shift perspective. I believe that you make up the majority of parents and I’d bet that your family could use a bit more balance with healthier eating in general – eating traditional whole foods, limiting treats to very special occasions, and supporting your child’s gut health. And even if you’re aware that you don’t eat as healthy as you should, you give up easily since many places you go to with your kids have low quality food and you may not even know what to ask for.

If my child had ADD/ADHD, autism, allergies, or any inflammatory condition that suggest poor gut health, I would lean more toward being the parent in group A of our list at the top of the post. I would have complete control over the food we eat. And, I would be more vocal about the lack of real, high quality food at fun places like the ballpark.

Obviously AT&T park hears that many of it’s customers would like fresh food. The Garden is a great start, but there is major room for improvement. If concerned parents all put their voices together asking for change, it would happen!

So what do you think parents? Want to join me in asking for change?! Or do you need help making good choices at concession stands? Let’s talk about this in the comments!

Emotional health, Meditation, Parenting, Personal Development

2 Meditations That Will Shape Your Day In A Positive Way

Gratitude and Forgiveness Meditations

I learned from my teacher long ago, the importance of  engaging in two brief periods of mindfulness with certain intentions. In the morning, we experience gratitude for the new day.  We appreciate all the ways that we’re supported in our life and acknowledge how we support others. In the evening before bed, we engage in a forgiveness meditation.  This allows us to clear away any weight on our heart and mind so we can sleep peacefully and start the next day with a fresher perspective. Together, these gratitude and forgiveness meditations help us create the most positive life possible if we do them daily.  

Practicing Gratitude

We’ve already discussed the importance of gratitude in Grateful Heart, Joy-filled Life. You may want to look back at it to learn about other ways you can experience gratitude throughout your day.  The following guided meditation will really help you.  If you’re feeling like your days are monotonous, overwhelming, and that life is unfair, this can dramatically alter your perspective.

If you have children, this is a wonderful practice to introduce to them. Depending on their age and temperament, you may want to do it with them or just model it for them.

Practicing Forgiveness

At the end of the day, there’s a tendency for many of us to rehash the events of the day. Sometimes, we obsess over interactions with other people that were unpleasant. Other times, we’re overwhelmed with how certain conditions, politically or socially, are negatively affecting our lives. Perhaps we’re upset with ourselves for behaving in a certain way. We don’t want to go to sleep holding a grudge! Sleep will be restless and unsettling, and you’ll just be carrying these feelings over to the next day.

In the recorded meditation below, we work with specific affirmations to help you accept what occurred and all the feelings that resulted. We forgive to the degree that we don’t carry a load of hate & resentment, but we don’t brush off or forget injustices. When the time is right, we can process these incidents further to find the lesson learned.

Again, if you have children, let them know what you’re doing! Teaching forgiveness is essential for your child’s emotional intelligence. I love this, from Sherrie Campbell, PhD in 5 Ways Parents Can Teach Their Kids to Forgive:

“The relationships our children have will, for certain, be their greatest teachers of love and pain. They will never need to use forgiveness more than in their relationships. Forgiveness is many things — but we also must teach that forgiveness doesn’t always mean reconciliation. It is not about condoning harms which have been done. Forgiveness is about taking power back.”

I’m eager to hear how you did with these meditations. Did you feel a positive shift? Please let us know in the comments. And if you found the meditations helpful, please share this post far and wide! Namasté

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Brandy Falcon, L.Ac., E-RYT

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