Letting Go Ritual ~ Task for This Easter Weekend

While you are experiencing now in your 10th day of your 21 day cleanse what it feels like to be rid of some old aches and pains, extra pounds you don't need, and hopefully the emergence of new and inspired energy, this is the right time to reflect on old habits that you would like to say good-bye to for good. Get your entire family involved including children who love this little ritual.

Over the Easter holidays take your family to a park where there are forested trails or meadows and a body of water like a river, pond or lake.  As you walk the trails contemplate those things you would like to change in your life and as you are thinking of each,  pick a flower, a leaf or a stem. Acknowledge with gratitude to the plant for its assistance with this ritual.

When everyone feels complete, go stand at the shore and toss the flowers one by one, assigning each to one thought, one habit. And as each flower hits the water, watch it float away and say good-bye to that which you wish to let go of...

Laxative Remedies

Day 10-Cleanse
Day 2 - Juicing !
How are you feeling?
Day 3 can be a bit of a rough slide for me, but let me tell you it does get easier. You come to realize how little food, we actually need in our bodies.

key points to keep in mind when juicing, organic is best, and fresh is vital.

Have you been Starting their day off with a vega shake, Vega is a great way to get that extra boost needed first thing in the morning!
If you are feeling the need for an extra boost of energy in the afternoon. Try the grail elixir with cayenne. Cayenne is known to provide quick energy along with heating the body to draw out toxins faster. If this doesn’t cut it for you , add in a scoop of vega to your juice.
Drink lots of herbal teas, grail elixir, lemon water (liquids,liquids liquids , will keep the fluids flowing in the body to flush out those toxins.

Laxative Remedies for Constipation

1) Put a 1 tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar in a glass of water (first thing in the morning is best). This is a natural laxative that Centers the digestive track and purifies the blood.
2) Prune juice - Put 4 prunes into your blender. Add in 1 cup warm water. Blend
3) Add to your juices (or food) - Flax oil (1tbsp)
-Psyllium husk (1-2 tsp)
- Flax seeds (flaxmeal)-(1 tbps)
4) Herbal laxative teas
5) Celery juice

Day 10! Makarasana - stretch out and relax!

Makarasana is the one of the best asanas for relaxation on both a physical and mental level. It also slows down the breathing process and the heart rate.

Sequence:
Lie flat on the carpet with the chin, chest and abdomen touching the ground.
Stretch out the legs together at full length.
Keep the arms on their respective sides.
Spread the legs comfortably apart and rest them on the floor.
Heels must point towards each other and the edges of the feet must touch the floor.
The feet should be at right angles to the legs and the toes pointing outward.
Raise your trunk and head.
Bring one hand beneath the opposite shoulder and grasp it lightly and place the other hand on the opposite shoulder and grasp it lightly. Do this in such a way that a 'double triangle is formed with the folded elbows resting exactly above one another and the forearms crossing the opposite upper arms.
Rest your forehead on this 'double triangle' and dip your face in the space in between.
Close your eyes and relax.
Do abdominal breathing and maintain this position as long as comfortable.
Lie on your back and resume.

Benefits:
Makarasana induces a complete relaxation of the body and mind.
It relaxes the muscles and relieves the fatigue after a strenuous asana.
The asana relieves and helps correct many breathing troubles and disorders in the genito-urinary system.
It helps to reduce high blood pressure.
Makarasana stimulates the small intestines which, in helps the digestive processes.
It prevents scoliosis and flatulence

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"Look within!... The secret is inside you."

Hui-neng

Life Coaching - Day 10 - What is New For You?

At this stage in the cleanse, and especially over the next few days as you juice fast, you are going to start to get some inklings, ideas and inspirations.

Do capture your thoughts and ideas in your journal as they come up. Nothing is too silly or immaterial...It is all important. You are starting to hear your inner voice of wisdom.

You might get some interesting answers if you pondered one or more of these questions:

- What is different for me now?
- What am I realizing that I didn't know before?
- What am I sensing that I didn't sense before?
- What am I feeling that I didn't feel before?

Notice yourself and feel great when you see that your experience is changing and new things are appearing! :)

Happy cleansing...

Deep cleansing detox facial the way Gramma used to do

Take time this week to pay attention to your face as well as the rest of your body. Every surface of your skin is trying to release toxins while you are on your 21 day cleanse. Here is a simple facial you can do at home at that is deeply, relaxing, cleansing and refreshing. And you can continue to do this every few weeks permanently.

1. Start off by using a gentle cleanser to remove any make up and residue.
2. Fill a bowl with very hot water and add a few drop of essential oils according to your skin type (see below for some ideas).
3. Lean over and drape yourself with a towel for approximately 10 minutes. Make sure you are comfortable.
4. Gently pat skin dry with the towel.
5. Apply mask for 15 minutes.
6. Remove the face mask with a cool, wet facecloth.
7. Fill bathroom sink with approximately 3 cups of cool water and add 1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Mix. Close eyes tightly and splash face over and over again for just a minute or so. Tap dry. 
8. Apply your nighttime moisturizer or night serum.

Essential Oil Guide - you can use one or any combination of these:

• Dry skin: geranium, neroli, rose, sandalwood
• Sensitive skin: lavender, rosewood, chamomile (you can even put loose chamomile tea in the hot water)
• Oily skin: patchouli, basil, lemongrass
• Mature skin: lavender, jasmine, geranium, rose, ylang-ylang

Homemade Facial Mask:

• Mash an over ripe Avocado (just think - you never have to throw them out any more!)
• Add one tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and mix together.

Fitness Day 9 ~ Sit, stretch and clear your mind

Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend)

Is a foundation Yoga pose that greatly helps you go within yourself, in a manner that restores both your body and mind. Sitting in this asana can help a distracted mind, unwind. The literal translation of the term Paschimottanasana is “intense stretch of the west.” In ancient times yogis were known to bow down to the rising sun in the east. Thus by doing this, intense west stretch they aligned themselves on an east-west axis. How deep physically you go into the pose is not half as important as how much you are able to surrender while doing it.

1. From a seated position, with legs out front bring the arms straight out to the sides and up over your head.
2. Inhale and draw the spine up long.
3. As you exhale, begin to come forward, hinging at the hips.
4. On each inhale, extend the spine, and on each exhale, come a bit farther into the forward bend.
5. Keep the neck at the natural extension of the spine.
6. Do not round the back.
7. Take hold of the ankles or shins, whichever you can reach.

Beginners: Put padding under the sit bones if necessary. Imagine the belly coming to rest on your thighs, rather than the nose coming to the knees this will help you keep the spine long instead of curving over.
Advanced: If you can easily grab the soles of your feet, try taking a block in front of the feet and holding that instead.

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"Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment."

Lao Tzu

Life Coaching - Day 9 - What Matters to You?

One of the great things about cleansing is you clear away a lot of the junk in your diet and your life.

Hopefully, what you are left with, is what really matters to you. Or, you may decide, hey, there's not all that much here that does matter!

It's time to reflect a little and decide...What really does matter to me? These questions would be good to journal on...

Before the cleanse, what values did my life reflect? If I really look at how I was spending my time and energy, what was I emphasizing?
What would I like to devote more of my energy to?
What elements of my life are absolutely crucial to my fulfillment? What things aren't so crucial?
What am I discovering matters more to me than I realized before?

There is no better time than now, as you begin to think and feel more clearly than you ever have before, to reflect on what really matters to YOU!

Happy Cleansing!

Is Juice fasting for you?

Day 8 cleanse
Reflect –
What benefits do I want to receive from this cleanse?
Why should I juice fast?

Juice Fasting For Detoxification
A juice fasting detox is one of the simplest and most successful ways to cleanse your body. Raw organic juices contain high levels of vitamins and nutrients and will help your body to expel toxins that have accumulated throughout the body.

Juice Fasting for weight Loss
How Toxins Keep Us OverweightWhen toxins from our environment accumulate inside our bodies, the liver develops fatty acid saturation and as these vital cells die, bile flow becomes inhibited making the digestion of fats more difficult. Your metabolism also slows down.
On top of which, your fat cells actually protect you from the toxins in your body. When toxins enter your body, your body must either eliminate them or store them in a safe place so that they don’t harm you.
One way your body does this is to store your toxins as fat. One study recently found that most people are storing somewhere between 400-800 toxic chemicals in their fat cells.
An internal system sluggish with toxic overload cannot operate properly and this includes your metabolism. Once toxins are eliminated, everything can work again properly, and your metabolic rate will increase, which will help you lose weight faster and easier.
That’s what happens when you follow the Juice Detox Diet – you eliminate toxins. A lot at first, to give your system a kick-start, then you will continue to do so, no matter how many you ingest on a daily basis.
And that’s why the Juice Detox Diet is the best weight loss program! Because it LETS your body lose weight.

Life Coaching - Day 8 - What Have You Learned So Far?

You've done an amazing thing for yourself so far, and you are about to take things deeper.

First, lets' figure out what we've learned so far...These questions could be good to pose to yourself and answer in your journal...

What have I learned doing the cleanse so far?
What is easy for me, and what is quite a challenge?
What feelings have come up for me?
What thoughts have come up for me?
What parts of myself are emerging that I don't normally see?
What else is important for me to realize right now?

Let's start the reflection process by seeing where we are at!

Happy Cleansing...

6~Minute Morning Practice for Body, Mind & Spirit

For step by step instructions and to find out the story behind 'The Grail Morning Mantra' click here

Fitness Day 8 ~ Open - Relax - Reflect

Reclining Bound Angle Pose

Today's asana will help you open your sacral area, which aids in the movement of energy, allowing for increased space within. With more space we can begin to work on inner reflection and balancing emotions. When practicing this asana turn on a beautiful piece of music, creating a sublime space for you to rest in. Set your time for 10-15 minutes.

Sit on the floor and place a pile of blankets, a couch cushion or yoga bolster behind you. Do not sit on the cushion. If your neck is sensitive, place the cushion the long way so that when you lie down over it your head lies on the cushion and is supported. If you want to stretch deeper, place the cushion the short way so that when you lie over it the top edge of the cushion hits below your armpits and you head is tipped slightly back.

Before you lie down bring the soles of your feet together and let your knees fall as far as they can out to the side. This is like an inner thigh stretch. Place enough pillows or blankets under your knees so that they touch. It is important to let your body relax so make sure your knees are touching the pillows and you are not holding them up.

Lie back over the cushion. Let your knees relax on the pillows. Bring your arms out to the side in a T position with your palms facing the ceiling.

Focus on taking deep belly breaths and with each exhale allow your body to relax more deeply into the pillows and cushion. Hold for as long as is comfortable.

Benefits

* stretches inner thigh and groin muscles

* frees energy flow in pelvic area

* stimulates abdominal organs and improves mobility in digestive organs

* helps relieve the symptoms of stress, mild depression, PMS and menopause

* relaxes the mind and the central nervous system

Contraindications/ Cautions

* groin or knee injury

* lower back injuries

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"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself"

G. Bernard Shaw

The Alchemist’s Bath: toxins out ~ minerals in!

"All Medicine is in the Earth" ~ Paracelsus

Mother Earth’s Magic Healing Potions:
Minerals play an enormous role in our ability to stay healthy but are often not addressed or talked about in mainstream medicine.  95% of our body’s functions, like the simple task of just thinking are dependent on minerals being present. The millions of individuals who experience lethargy in their day likely have a lack of sufficient minerals in their diet. Supplementing the body’s mineral intake through natural products from the earth is one effective and potent way to acquire the necessary minerals we need.

End each few days of your detox program with a 20 minute detox bath, also a great time to decompress, relax and just breathe in some quiet time just for you. I suggest using Himalayan bath salts, Austrian moor mud or organic seaweed powders. Dead sea salts and Himalayan bath salts are readily available at health food stores. These gifts from Mother Earth will not only help to draw out the toxins but what they offer up in the way of minerals is powerful.

Adopt a weekly detox bath for life for general health maintenance and disease prevention.

Fitness Day 7 - Tratak Meditation

Good Morning Cleansers!

As we move into our 2nd week, and begin to change our focus from detox to reflection, I hope that you will open up to this very simple, yet power practice.



Tratak or steady gazing is an excellent concentration exercise. It involves alternately gazing at an object or point without blinking, then closing your eyes and visualizing the object in your mind's eye. The practice steadies the wandering mind and concentrates the attention, leading you to focus with pinpoint accuracy. Wherever the eyes go, the mind follows, so that when you fix your gaze on a single point, the mind too becomes one pointed. Tratak meditation extends beyond a simple gaze; it is about attuning to your higher-self. If a seeker sincerely enters into Tratak meditation daily, they will quickly experience the beauty it adds to their life. The seeker is filled with will power, determination and focus.

Breathing Images – Candle Light Meditation

A conscious breathing of light into the eyes in the form of images can be experienced, as a delicate process in which the light meets and mingles with a current of will forces from with the human being. To experience the mingling of currents puts the human being at the door to higher worlds.

Candle light exercise:

Observe a candle flame for a full minute. Watch it with open eyes and heart, see the energy as it moves around the flame. Draw this light into your heart, passing it through your 3rd eye centre. After a full minute has passed, gently close your eyes and observe the after image, using your in-sight. Connect to the image created within, watch it pulse and ebb and change colors until no image is perceptible. Pay very close attention to the inner state after the image fades away. It is this state of inner awareness that we seek, to prepare ourselves for deeper states of meditation.
Once this practice becomes familiar, visualize a current of energy rising up the back of the spine from the kidney area into the back of the brain, through the optic nerve, and toward the front of the head. Once this is a full experience, combine the first exercise with the second.
Begin by establishing the current from the kidney to the eyes, then open the eyes and observe the candle flame for a minute. Then close your eyes and pay attention to the place in the head where the after-image meets the kidney current – where human will meets the sense impression.

"Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward, and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom"

Buddha

Life Coaching - Day 7 - Cleansing Your Mind

Congratulations, you've made it through the first week of the cleanse! You have cleared away a lot of the things that have been getting in the way...In your body, in your house, and in your life.

Soon, we'll be taking this deeper, but let's turn our attention to one more area of our whole self, our mind. There are toxic words and phrases...What if we do our best to stay away from some of these? It'll help you during the cleanse, and, if you can make it a habit, you can completely change your life by changing your internal dialogue.

In general, toxic words and phrases can be recognized by the way they limit, obscure and/or bring your energy down.

Here are some common toxic phrases and suggested alternatives!

I should...I would love to, I have great reasons to, I choose to, I choose not to
I have to...I would like to, I would not like to
I can't...I can

What toxic phrases do you use with yourself, and what more empowering words can you replace them with?

Happy Cleansing!

Good Poop!

Day 6 Cleanse

Hello Happy Cleansers!!
I have had a couple of great questions regarding bowel movments , so I thought I would share this with everyone.

A Body Detox Gives You Regular Bowel Movements
The smell, weight and color of your stool provides a great deal of information about how your body is doing, health wise. Many people use the bathroom and then flush their stool quickly without a second thought. If anything, you are probably aware of how often you go, but have no idea what your poop looks like.
How a Body Detox Can Help
The next time you have a bowel movement, take a moment to observe your stool. The ideal stool should be medium brown (the color of a paper bag) and buoyant. It should also appear smooth and taper off at the ends. By observing your stool, you will start to notice that when you eat fried foods or junk food, your stool is dark brown, bulky and sinks like a rock to the bottom of the toilet. However, when you eat healthy foods, such as fruit and vegetables, your stool will be medium brown in color and float at the time. The smell of a healthy stool is less pungent and is easier to expel from the body. A stool produced from fried foods will have a foul odor and will require more pressure in order to release it from the body. Too much straining in the anal area can lead to hemorrhoids. A body detox will regulate your bowel movements and soften your stools. The easiest way to detox your body is to incorporate fruit and vegetables in to your daily diet.

Fitness Day 6 ~ Time for a rest - Corpse Pose

WOW! Cleansers! Day 6!

I hope you are beginning to feel very well connected with your body and breath.

Today I ask that you set some time aside and go through the first 5 practices in order, ending with today's asana

- The Corpse Pose -

Savasana

(shah-VAHS-anna) sava = corpse

Even relaxation can bring out the best in you — but make sure you do it properly. The Corpse Pose or Savasana may look like a simple relaxing pose that is done in between or after an Asana, but this excerise requires a lot of concentration and will develop through continued practice. This exercise, if done correctly, will stimulate blood circulation and will lessen or relieve; fatigue, nervousness, asthma, constipation, diabetes, indigestion, and insomnia.

It will also improve your mental concentration.

Getting into the pose:

1. Come to lie down on the back.
2. Let the feet fall out to either side.
3. Bring the arms alongside the body, but slightly separated from the body,

and turn the palms to face upwards.
4. Relax the whole body, including the face. Let the body feel heavy.
5. Let the breath occur naturally.
6. To come out, first begin to the deepen the breath.

Then move the fingers and toes, awakening the body.
7. Bring the knees into the chest and roll over to one side, keep the eyes closed.
8. Slowly bring yourself back up into a sitting position.

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Yoga is invigoration in relaxation. Freedom in routine.

Confidence through self control. Energy within and energy without.

~Ymber Delecto

Life Coaching - Day 6 - Feeling

One thing about a cleanse is, if you have been avoiding your feelings, you are going to find out. If, before, you managed your feelings with chemicals (sugar, caffeine, etc.), you are going to be left with the necessity of actually feeling your feelings. And that can be a little uncomfortable at first!

Feelings are their own cleansers, moving through our body and clearing our energy. But only if you let them move through you!

This cleanse gives you an opportunity to feel. In fact, you'll find that you can feel more and more as the cleanse continues. Think you already feel too much? That's resistance. Let go and let yourself feel. There are many advantages to a freely flowing emotional system. You are about to experience them yourself!

Happy Cleansing

Unplug This Weekend ~ Embrace Earth Hour ~ Wellness Coaching

• 8am - hot water and lemon juice
• dry skin brushing and shower
• yoga stretch
• 10am fruit smoothie breakfast
• rest and relaxation
• mid-morning snack
• 12pm rest and meditation
• lunch
• long walk or jog
• 4pm afternoon snack
• journal about your week
• 7pm dinner
• detox salt bath
• 8:30-9:30pm unplug for Earth Hour, light candles and use this time to meditate on your vision for the future of our planet
• 10pm bed

Greens, Greens, and more Greens

Good Morning Happy Cleanser!
How are we doing today? Have we been eating LOTS of greens? Eating lots of greens is an important part of our detox diet.

Learning to eat enough greens usually requires a shift in perspective. Most of us grew up regarding greens (and other veggies) as a side dish; something we eat in small portions every once in awhile. Greens are great purifiers. They work specifically to support your liver and help usher toxins and fat out of your body.
During your detox (and as part of a long term healthy diet) greens should be brought front and center, featured as a regular main dish! The green salads you eat during your detox should be loaded with nutrients and a wide variety of fresh ingredients. And there’s no need to be stingy in your salad making. A big salad makes a great meal all on its own.
A chef salad is a great opportunity to incorporate many different vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other micronutrients into one meal. This creation will give you the full spectrum of vitamins and minerals along with healthy fats and proteins. Fresh herbs also enhance the nutrient value, detoxifying power and flavour of your chef salad.

“YOUR THE CHEF" SALAD
Directions:
1. Combine dark and light leafy greens; yellow, orange and red vegetables; nuts and seeds; and avocadoes.
2. Have fun with your chef salad adding in as much goodness as possible. Fresh whole basil, mint leaves, etc. roasted nuts (almonds, pine nuts). Protein: Add in crispy tofu, crumbled on top or a few tbsp hemp seeds. Throw in some chickpeas or cooked quinoa.

Life Coaching - Day 5 - Cleansing Your Calendar

You are a divine being, and you have the right to participate in things that you enjoy, and to not participate in things that you don't enjoy.

How much does your work and social calendar reflect how you really want to live?

You may feel more like adding things that you really want more towards the end of the cleanse, when you are learning more about living as your true self. But, for now, are there some things that clearly you don't enjoy?

If being with certain people, or doing certain things, doesn't feel right to you, they are activities that aren't currently a match for your deeper self, and can be cleansed!

Are there some events and activities you are ready to let go of? Letting go of the things that are not right, makes room for the people and things that are right! :)

Happy Cleansing!