Why You Need a Yoni Egg and How to Use One

The yoni egg is definitely an interesting piece of female history. It is thought to come from ancient China where women (mostly concubines) used them to improve their vaginal strength. The word “yoni” means vulva in Sanskrit. However, it is clouded in mystery as most female folklore, no one knows it’s exact origin. Many criticize the yoni egg for not having scientific research to back it up, however, it continues to grow in popularity because women worldwide are seeing the results of using one.

4 Major Benefits of Using the Yoni Egg Regularly

Strengthens our pelvic floor muscles

The yoni egg practice will help strengthen those pelvic floor muscles! They work similarly to the kegel exercises but with a weight so they are more intense than doing just kegels. The more you use the yoni egg, these muscles will strengthen so you will be able to control them better. That means more control during sex, urination and self-pleasure, which is great! Also, for those of us holding trauma inside our yoni and womb, the yoni egg helps us get connected with that trauma to heal and release it.

Helps with learning about our menstruation cycle

Women have this incredible monthly menstruation cycle that we often know very little about. There is so much mystery like what does each phase mean? How does it affect our energy and mode? When we begin a yoni egg practice, we get in tune with our yoni. You will start to see that your yoni is different from day to day. Perhaps it feels different inside, your cervix has moved or the wetness is different. The more you know, the more you can take full advantage of your cycle.

Increases our sexual arousal and orgasmic possibilities

This is perhaps the best benefit (Am I right?). The more we connect with our yoni and clear the trauma from our past, we begin to feel more sensation. Many women report being in pain or having numbing sensation in their yoni and the egg can help equalize this. For me, my challenge was how numb I was inside my yoni, but I had pain around the lips. The more I used the egg, the more I cleared the trauma and released the tension. My yoni began to have deeper and more intense orgasms. Also, I experience new types of orgasms I had never had before which was a pleasant surprise!

Connects women to their divine feminine

The more we connect to our womb and yoni we can begin to harness the power that lives there. For most women, it lies dormant and is never awakened but that is where we hold so much of our divine feminine power. When we bring this part of us to life, we can set boundaries with ease. We can decide our future with joy and not constant worry. The yoni egg practice can teach us to soften into our feminine power and really begin to create the life of our dreams.

Okay, but how do we get started?

The first step is finding YOUR egg. Eggs are mostly made of crystals or glass. However, I recommend either a Nephrite Egg or Obsidian Egg for anyone starting out. You can see more about each here. Many beginners are tempted to go with clear or rose quartz because they know that crystal. But quartz amplifies anything it touches so if you have a lot of trauma, meaning this type of crystal can actually emphasize the trauma. So stay clear of quartz unless you are a seasoned egg user and are certain you are clear of any traumas. This is why I recommend the Nephrite or Obsidian varieties.

When you start your practice, begin with 3 minutes sessions, 3 times per week. You’ll want to avoid overdoing it and exhausting their pelvic floor muscles, but using the egg too much before we’re used to it. We don’t want to cause any discomfort. Also, never insert your egg while you are bleeding. Your body is trying to release during that time, and the egg practice isn’t counterproductive.

To start, follow these instructions:

Lay down on your back and take some deep breaths

Give yourself a nice message especially around your breasts to ground your body. We want you to be relaxed and calm.

Take the egg [string it, if you like] and hold it over your womb for a few breaths. This will warm it up.

Then slowly move the egg down to the opening of your yoni + ask your body if it wishes to receive the yoni egg.

If you get a good feeling or a yes, then go ahead and insert it for 3 minutes. If you get a “no”, then leave it by your side. We never force it in.

During that time, you can mediate, journal or do some light yoga!

When you take it out, rinse it with water and soap. And send it gratitude for the healing.

Eventually, you may find yourself creating your own ritual around the Yoni Egg. That is the best! It means you are really leaning into it and making it your own. Every woman holds within her a unique feminine power that only she can unleash! I hope this yoni egg practice helps you release it with the world.

*If you have any questions about Yoni Egg or divine feminine, contact Morgan on her website.

Morgan Doman
May, 13, 2021

A Comprehensive Guide to Composting at Home

So you want to start your own garden this year in hopes of eating the food you grow? That’s great! But did you know that the food you grow could be nutritiously fed with the leftover scraps of the organic matter you ate? Brilliant! This is part of the process of composting. Composting is one of the best ways to recycle, reduce trash to landfills, and create a better life for your garden plants.

What is Compost?

Compost is the breakdown of organic materials like foods or natural materials derived and grown from the earth. There are two types of composting processes: anaerobic composting which does not include the use of free flowing oxygen and aerobic composting which invites free flowing oxygen. This article will further elaborate on aerobic composting requiring access to open air. Aerobic composting is very simple to start in your garden to begin composting right away.

The final result of aerobic composting is carbon dioxide gas, water vapor liquid, and dark brown organic matter like dirt. Decaying matter like fruits and vegetables begin to wither, shrink, and release their gases, leaving behind rich nutrients as a byproduct in the dirt as they further breakdown. In the compost pile, the minerals from the organic matter’s nutrients are released into the soil to create more nutrient dense soil and ultimately make the nutrients easily acceptable to the plants when you spread it into your garden. To give you an easy visual of another example of organic matter breakdown, think of fallen leaves and dead plant matter in our yards and forests. When the leaves fall late in the year, where do the leaves go?

Dead and dying organic material begins to break down into smaller fragments and dirt or compost thanks to the natural abundance of oxygen, bacteria, fungi, and creatures in the soil of the earth. Fungi and some bacteria require oxygen to grow which is why your decaying and dead organic matter from the kitchen love the abundance of oxygen. These species will live and thrive off of this decaying matter in order to do their life’s work of further breaking substance down. In order to grow, fungi and bacteria absorb the gasses released by the organic matter and ultimately take over the material to break it down into dirt.

Rainwater & Oxygen

But first in the process as a whole, rain water and the moisture that naturally occurs in compost as a by-product of the release of gases such as oxygen and hydrogen (H2O), further dissolve some of the organic material. This is known as a process called leaching. The acidity and molecular components of water from rain is the first line of breaking down the material of the organic matter. Then, creatures of the dirt, like earthworms and insects begin to move through the soil which ignites a process called mixing. When dead and dying organic matter is placed in soil with earthworms, the earthworms move through the soil, attracted to the food, creating holes and canals which helps open the dirt where oxygen can become more present. The oxygen feeds the bacteria and fungi. These pieces of organic matter begin to break down into smaller pieces by way of oxygen exposure through contact with water and soil creatures. It then becomes easier for small spores of fungi to attach themselves to these smaller pieces and with absorption of oxygen, the fungi grow bigger to consume and decompose the remaining dead matter. After the fungus’s role is over, it too breaks down and dies. This is how we get our finest pieces of dark brown dirt. Except it’s not just any dirt.

The cellular components of organic plant matter released additional organic nutrients and molecules from the physical fruit, vegetable, or coffee, etc. These nutrients can remain in the soil over a period of time and contribute to how we get nutrient rich compost soil in assistance to feeding the plants of our gardens.

The compost soil is wet and dense with nutrients from the breakdown of the organic matter. These factors help plants and the soil around their roots to maintain moisture and absorb nutrients over extended periods. Symbiotically, due to the high density of nutrients, compost soil better retains the water, making near perfect conditions in your garden beds without having to use excess water!

Nitrogen, oxyen & magnesium

One of my favorite nutrients, dense in compost soil, is nitrogen and is provided as a by-product of one of life’s greatest pleasures, coffee. The plants of our gardens love nitrogen to create lubricated stems and leaves. Nitrogen and a small atom of magnesium make up the chlorophyll in plants. The chlorophyll is the green pigment in plants which supports the foundation of light absorption from the sun. The compost soil ultimately aids the plant in retaining water in the soil and yet also helps leaves grow to absorb more sunlight. Just a heads up, too much nitrogen in your soil will not permit the budding of flowers!

Compost is amazing for gardens in areas where there is a lot of clay soil, compost soil can be added in to break up the density and increase airflow. The amount of carbon dioxide, released by the organic matter in the broken down compost soil, aids in feeding plants because they take in carbon dioxide and exchange it for the release of oxygen. This soil support caters to healthier leaves for more oxygen to support our bodies.

In the end, we get nutrient dense soil from compost and it supports the overall health of the soil around the plant and the plant itself. In my own experience, using compost soil every 6-8 weeks has been one of the greatest ways to produce more fruits on my plants as my plants grow higher with more leaves and stems in the summer garden. At other times, I place my compost soil at the base of some of my indoor plants and they begin to sprout new leaves fairly quickly, too!

Disclaimer: the compost is not a fertilizer but compost does have fertilizer value. Fertilizer is like food for the plant to give it the proper nutrients it would need to grow. Fertilizer would contain the proper amount of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, or Potassium that is required for the plant to grow. However, if you supplement your compost pile with organic matter that can be rich in these elements, then your plant may benefit from compost alone!

Where to Keep and Build Your Compost

Before you can do anything, you’ll need a container to put your compost in to give it time to decompose.

In the Home

Before you’re ready to bring your compost outside, I like to keep my scraps in a glass container that has a lid. This is a sustainable and easy option that allows flexibility so you don’t have to run outside all day long with your scraps.

DIY Compost Bin

The best place to keep your compost is in a structure made with natural materials. This could be a bin-like structure made with wood, cinder blocks, bricks, etc. This compost plan is my top recommendation as you can keep the new dirt separated from the food that is actively decomposing.

Ready-Made Compost Bin

There are, of course, alternatives to making a bin yourself. Here are a few ready-made compost bins I recommend:

Materials to Add to Your Compost

The following is a group of lists that may guide you in composting ethically and correctly to avoid issues down the line in the garden.

Foods and their main nutrients which I love to compost with:

Used coffee grounds (Rich in Nitrogen, neutral pH)
Banana peels (Rich in Potassium, rapid breakdown)
Finely crushed eggs shells (Rich in Calcium)
Strawberries/pineapple (Sugar/rapid breakdown)
Leafy greens

Foods to compost with caution:

Tomatoes
Lemons
Limes
High acidity/low sugar

Sugars are great for composting as it attracts earthworms and insects to come through and facilitate more oxygen flow. High acidity materials like tomatoes can throw off the pH balance which could end up killing the good nutrients in the soil that support healthy breakdown. If this pH reaches the plant, the plant may suffer.

Compost needs additional support with carbon and oxygen

Great sources of carbon include brown, dry organic matter such as:

Dry leaves
Cardboard
Newspaper
Hay, straw
Sawdust
Cereal boxes
Cotton, wool
Hair
Nutshells
Dead houseplants

Fresh grass clippings can also be added to compost, however, they are categorized as wet organic material just as the fruits and vegetables are. So the key here is a ratio of two to one, green, wet plant matter to brown, dry matter. This is a rough estimate and can be measured by the eye.

Things to avoid adding to your compost and why:

Stickers from your washed fruits and veggies
Paper towels (contain other chemicals for absorbance which are not beneficial nutrients and could throw off the balance of the soil)
Cooked food (contain oils that are not able to break down in the soil)
Animal bones, meats (attracts pests which would contaminate the compost)
Micro-plastic tea bags (tea bags that are not paper will not breakdown)
Avocado pits (can take a long time to break down due to their density)
Charcoal
Pet waste
Black walnut tree leaves/twigs or yard debris treated with pesticides
Weeds from the garden (potential to grow back stronger and take over)

How to Compost at Home

First, you’ll want to store your compost in in a dry, shady area that’s easily accessible to water.
You can add any brown (dried plants, newspaper, etc.) or green matter (kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, etc.) as they are collected. Large pieces will not be able to decompose easily, so be sure to chop or shred them into smaller pieces. For best results, mix three parts brown with one part green materials.
Depending on where you are and how much rainfall you get, you may need to gently moisten your newly added matter. In areas, it’s common that the atmosphere is wet enough that you may not need to add water often, or at all. Just note if your compost starts to look too wet or has a strong odor — if it does add more brown matter and stir often.
Aim to stir your compost once a week to properly aerate the matter.
When the matter at the bottom of your compost bin is dark, dry, and rich in color, then it’s ready to add to your garden!

Being able to treat your garden to fresh, nutrient-dense compost is such a great way to revitalize the earth and it’s fruit (or vegetables). Follow this guide to start composting at home to build a much more sustainable future for yourself and the earth.

Erin "Bird" Schmenski
May, 06, 2021

How Nature Can Support Your Business Development

If we’ve learned anything over the last year, we’ve seen first hand how, when humans get out of the way, Nature can flourish. Did you notice how, when given the chance to slow down, the Earth began to regenerate and heal? You can do the same.

Ayurveda is the ancient sister science of Yoga. In Sanskrit, Ayurveda means “life knowledge.” Ayurveda teaches us how to connect with the natural world in order to live a happier, healthier life. While most people think about food and digestion when they think about Ayurveda, it can also be a helpful tool for overall wellness — including work/life balance. You can harness the energies of Nature to help you find success in your career and business!⁠

Ayurveda describes three constitutional energies (doshas) present all around us:⁠

Kapha – the Reflective Energy⁠

Pitta – the Active Energy⁠

Vata – the Creative Energy⁠

It is no surprise, then, that each of these doshas can naturally support our professional practices. Here are a few ways these three energies can manifest themselves.

Time of Day

Certain times of day correspond to each of the doshas and can, therefore, support us in different projects and activities.

6am-10am, 6pm-10pm: KAPHA TIME

During Kapha time, the energy is slower and more downward moving. Ayurveda encourages us to wake before Kapha time and then use those early morning hours to start our day slowly and intentionally.

Use this time to do things like follow an easy morning routine. Try things like:

Make yourself a warm cup of citrus water (lemon or lime)
Take a short walk around the block to clear your mind
Do quiet work that requires diligence, like data collection

10am-2pm, 10pm-2am: PITTA TIME

Pitta is fast, outward moving energy. You will have the most motivation during Pitta time — use it to your advantage! Ever notice that you get anxiety about your to-do list in the middle of the night? That’s probably because you’re awake during Pitta time!

Try things like:

Take all your meetings from 10am-2pm
Work on a project that requires more motivation or grit
Eat your biggest meal! Your digestive system is most active at noon

2pm-6pm, 2am-6am: VATA TIME

Vata is quick, upward moving energy. Vata is extremely creative so use this time to work on things that require an outside-the-box mentality.

Try things like:

Create your social media graphics
Content batching
Brainstorming or mind-mapping new business ideas

Natural Development Cycles

We all have natural cycles of creation, execution, and reflection — whether we’re working on a corporate marketing team or creating a sales strategy for our own business. You can lean into the doshas to help you make this process more fluid, too!

When starting something new, lean into the creative energy of Vata to get your juices flowing and to move through stagnation.⁠ Have a dance party to loosen up and tap into your creativity! If that doesn’t feel good, try listening to classical music while you’re working on a new idea.

Once you’ve decided on a plan, harness Pitta to get it off the ground!⁠ Use time blocking to find time to focus on what needs to get done next. Pitta people get.it.done. Know someone like that on your team? I bet they’d be the perfect person to lead your next project.

When you’ve reached the end of a launch, use the energy of Kapha to reflect and rest.⁠ Sip on a yummy cup of tea and journal about the experience so that you can learn what to do and not do next time. Ask your team to reflect and bring their thoughts to a recap meeting.

In all the training I’ve participated in and led about Ayurveda, it is fascinating to me that so many people say they already naturally lean into these energies. So many of us have never heard of Ayurveda, yet we instinctively choose to live our lives in harmony with its practices. Have you ever done anything like this naturally without realizing it was linked to Ayurveda?

Meaghan Dunham
May, 05, 2021

Mother’s Day Confession

Sometimes I wish someone would take care of me.

I dream about someone preparing a meal for me, so I don’t have to. The only person who cooks for me is my own mother, which, yes, I do see the irony there.

I dream of waking up in the morning and being able to take care of ME first before I get requests for treats (yes, treats are always requested first), and for breakfast, and a different show, and “oh, mom I need more drink!” I dream of taking care of me before I have to take the dog out, and then feed the dog, and then take the dog out again because he’s still a puppy, then serve a second helping of breakfast to my little humans. And then we’re rushing out the door and… “mom, did you charge my iPad?”

I dream of days in solitude spent in a hotel room, where I can make a mess if I want to (even though I won’t).

I dream of being alone. Alone!? Can you imagine being alone? After the year we’ve had?

I dream of commanding the TV and watching what I want without 10 interruptions every hour.

I dream of long afternoons soaking up the sun, without a care for nap time schedules.

I dream of going shopping without first assessing everyone’s mood and determining how on guard I need to be for a toddler tantrum. Maybe it isn’t worth it and tomorrow would be better?

And listening. Oh, how I dream of being able to say everything only once. I dream of not needing to repeat and repeat and repeat until I am bursting and screaming because no one is listening to me.

I dream of a house where I’m the only one that makes a mess (or not) and everything is exactly where I left it.

I dream of being able to sit in my own thoughts without being interrupted by small voices that say…

Where’s my…

Can you…

I want…

And then they go to bed…

And I find myself missing their smile.

I’m in awe of the freckles that are beginning to appear in the crease of their nose and how they just keep learning, and learning, and learning, even about things I never taught them.

I find myself creeping in their room when their asleep because I want to see their faces one more time before the day is through.

I catch myself watching old videos on my phone because, look how sweet they were.

Look how sweet they are.

Motherhood is complicated. And strange. And gross. And busy. And wonderful. And scary. And so joyous. And a mess. And expanding. And shrinking. And confusing. And love. And forgiveness.

And quite simply…

everything.

Alyssa McDowell
May, 04, 2021

It’s Not What You’re Eating, It’s Who You’re Being

I spent a lot of years worrying about every bite I put in my mouth. I carefully counted my calories and sometimes, even measured my food. It was a science and the experts told me it would work, that if I was diligent, I would lose weight. Calories in, calories out. Simple. Easy. It took me a long time to admit that, in fact, it wasn’t working. And it definitely wasn’t easy.

I finally reached my breaking point and I couldn’t go on obsessing about food. It was all I ever thought about. I felt like I wasn’t reaching my full potential because I didn’t have any energy at the end of the day to chase my dreams. I threw in the towel and vowed never to diet again. That is the day my Intuitive Eating journey began.

I went all in. I hired a coach. I read all the books I could get my hands on and filled my social media feed with inspiring accounts. Compared to what I had been doing, Intuitive Eating was relatively easy. Identifying my hunger and fullness took some work, but in the grand scheme of things life was way more peaceful than it had been in a long time.

The interesting thing about honoring your hunger and fullness is that you have to be very aware of what’s going on in your body. This was challenging because I had spent years ignoring her, punishing her and making her the enemy. She was something to be controlled, not my partner in health. I was so busy listening to the experts who had all the answers, that it never occurred to me to listen to what my body wanted.

The shift didn’t happen overnight. And rightfully so. I had used and abused my body for so long, it took some time for us to rebuild the trust. Because the truth is, my relationship with my body is like any other and I needed to prove that I could honor and cherish her again. Throughout this process I learned that only I have the answers. What works for others doesn’t work for me and that’s why I struggled for as long as I did. I was looking for answers in the wrong place.

Now that I was paying attention, I could focus on what I was eating. I had to make peace with food. I spent decades making every food decision a moral judgement. This food is “good” and therefore, I am good. But every time I ate something I believed was “bad”, I was a horrible person with no willpower. Every bite was loaded with guilt and shame. I desperately wanted to only desire “healthy” foods. So instead of enjoying whatever it was I was eating, I was focused on feeling like a failure and barely tasting what was on my plate.

Upon reflection, these thoughts and beliefs were a product of years living in diet culture. I know now that there are no good or bad foods, but I also recognized that the more I restrict or make off limits, the more I want it. This is human nature. I am not broken, the system that supports these ideas is broken. Enjoying food is our birthright! And I now approach meal time from a peaceful place, with enjoyment as the main ingredient.

When I reflect on my relationship with food now, it is kind of an afterthought. In fact, I get annoyed with how neutral food is. Some days I struggle trying to decide what to eat, like it’s a chore. That right there blows my mind. At the height of my food obsession, I could never have imagined being here. And it makes me realize, it wasn’t about the food at all. It was about who I was being.

I was looking outside of myself for the answers. I wasn’t connected to my body, to my inner knowing that now supports me in more ways than I could have ever imagined. I was eating under duress, making myself wrong for every “bad” choice and feeling like a failure when it was the diets that failed me.

I’m grateful for the peace and freedom I now experience, not to mention the energy and brain space to live a life I love. What I’ve learned is food can be fuel, it can be pleasurable and should be enjoyed, but it’s also just food. The real power comes from my mindset and what I know to be true for me.

Jackie Garfield
Apr, 29, 2021

5 Home Office Improvements for Your Health

Do you ever feel completely drained after a long day of work sitting behind your computer? We spend hours behind our computers, next to our internet routers, with our hands on our wireless or laptop/keyboard, and cell phones close by. We wear our blue blocker glasses to protect our eyes, but there’s days where it seems like even the blue light blockers don’t stop the fatigue, headaches, and joint pain from setting in.

Personally, after years of working on my laptop, I started to notice pretty consistent joint pain and this pulsing sensation in my wrists and fingers. I had never attributed this too much until I started studying the impacts of electromagnetic radiation. It turns out, when we are near these electro-magnetic frequencies (EMFs), our own personal energy is depleted.

Let me share an example that can help you visualize this scenario. Imagine rubbing a balloon on your head and slowly pulling the balloon up and off. Notice the strands of hair rise up, stuck to the balloon and moving along with the balloon everywhere the balloon moves. The frazzled, frayed, “fly-aways” of hair are what electric fields look like if you could see them. Now, understand that we are balloons and our electronic devices are a head of hair. Everytime we walk past them, the electric fields are looking for something to connect to so they latch onto our bodies, just like the fly-away hair latches onto the balloon. This in turn, depletes us of our energy leaving us feeling completely drained and causes damage to our DNA.

Fortunately, we can make some small shifts to our office environment to prevent this type of radiation from causing long-term damage. I’m currently in the process of learning how to evaluate the levels of EMF in an office environment, but even without knowing the actual levels you’re dealing with, there’s some best practice quick fixes you can make to greatly improve your odds.

Confirm Your Computer is Plugged into a 3-Prong Grounding Plug

Are you working off of a laptop? These emit a very high level of “Electric Fields” also known as “EF.” These types of fields look like the hairs mentioned in the visualization above. Electric Fields come off of your electrical devices and create fly-aways that latch onto us, but one easy way to tame these fly away electric fields is to make sure your laptop charger has a 3-prong outlet plug, as opposed to just two flat prongs. Using a charger with a grounding pin will allow for the fly-away electric fields to return on the path of least resistance back to the earth. Please keep in mind that this only works as long as you have a working ground system in your home. You can test this using an inexpensive test plug from Amazon (just search “AC outlet ground tester”). Below is an image of our AC outlets and which holes correlate with which part of the system.

Consider Using a Grounding Mat/Indoor Earthing Pad at Your Feet

Now that we have a better understanding of a ground connection, you might consider getting an earthing pad to put at the foot of your desk or at your wrists on your desk. A working ground connection is required in order for this to work as well, but companies like earthing.com give you a free AC outlet ground tester with the purchase of your mat. Similarly to how the earth connection tames the fly away electric fields, the grounding mat also allows our own energy to connect back to the earth, all from the comfort of your home. The earth is like a giant battery and basically everything electric is plugged into it somehow (through our electrical systems which are grounded). When we stand barefoot and connect our own skin to the earth, we are charging as well. Many people have reported receiving beautiful benefits from connecting to the earth’s energy such as healing chronic pain, reduced stress, as well as better sleep and mood.

Hardwire Your Computer to Your Router

Invest in a router that allows you to turn off the wifi signal and plug into the router directly. Our wireless router puts off a type of EMF we call “Radio Frequency” also known as an “RF” signal. These types of signals are like small invisible pings that happen every few seconds. These devices are constantly searching for any wireless device that’s connected to it. Unfortunately, for humans, being exposed to these constant pings is one of the worst types of exposure we can have to EMF. The more we can limit this exposure from cell phones and wifi when we have control over it, the better.

Get Wired

This one is going to be hard for people, at least it was for me, because I hate the mess that wires create, however using a wired mouse and keyboard has been a game changer for me. After switching to both wired keyboard and mouse I noticed my joints no longer hurt after long hours on my computer. Going wired allows you to turn off the bluetooth setting on your computer which is one less form of radiation hitting you while you work. There are some solutions out there that help alleviate the mess that wires can create, so depending on your setup you might be able to find something that works well for you and helps the mess disappear.

Invest in a Quality Desk

Consider opting for a desk and chair without metal legs. Metal can act as a conductor and amplify the electric and magnetic fields in the room. Going with a solid wood desk with a Zero VOC sealer is a good clean option. If you’re not selecting solid wood avoid desks that use particleboard and plywood since they contain glues that will offgas. Some glues might even contain urea-formaldehyde which will offgas for the life of the product. Avoiding toxic chemicals around your workspace is crucial to creating a healthy workplace.

Given the amount of time we spend in our work spaces, it’s no wonder we feel so terrible after a long day of work! Making these simple shifts can greatly improve how we feel after a long day. When thinking about creating a healthy home, the bedroom and the office are the two places the majority of people spend most of their time, which is why I feel like they are the most important rooms to start revamping into healthier spaces.

Ashley Spanovich
Apr, 27, 2021

Self-Fulfillment and Self-Care is Self-Honoring, Not Selfish

As I get older, I reflect deeply upon how to take better care of me. To silence the inner voice that critiques my progress on a goal, deadline or achievement. Instead, I meet that small wounded part of me with love, acceptance and compassion and remind myself that I’m not a machine.

I grew up in a situation where shame was given anytime I laid still and rested. I was called “lazy” if I took a nap, or “selfish” when I put my wants and needs first. My attempts to adapt to an invalidating environment consistently placed me in a pattern of self disempowerment, and as a young adult, a constant search for perfectibility and certainty in my life.

However neither perfection nor certainty exist in this world, so my search was always in vain.

Fast forward to my early 20s as a single mother, the concept of self-care was completely alien to me. Abandoned by both my family and my daughter’s biological father, I ate whatever I could afford, and I put my needs last like all of the women in my family had. Still motivated by creating certainty and security, I also held the firm belief that the only way to be happy and to receive love and acceptance from others was to prove myself to be worthy and capable.

I wanted to show the world that not only could I be a great mother, I could also financially support us at the same time. Yet no matter what I did, nothing ever was good enough for the people I was trying to please, and I was always exhausted.

In my early 30s, I remember my therapist asking me, “So, if you bought your mother a house, do you think she would love you more?”. His line of questioning always bewildered me, activating my inner child’s feelings of defectiveness, requiring me to instantly defend the truth of my reality. So I rewarded that therapist by refusing to see him, and I moved on with my life, never recognizing the deep connection between the source of that question, and my vulnerability to high-demand situations.

As I continued along my path as a wife and mother, my inability to defend boundaries around self-care eventually took a toll on my body. I became exhausted, depleted, and was eventually diagnosed with Graves Disease, an autoimmune condition which also threatened my eyesight. This was a huge wake-up call, as I finally realized that sacrificing my own care for others wasn’t a true or sustainable way to live. Constantly caring outwards was literally draining the life right out of me.

As my best friend told me at the time, “Andrea, you are literally killing yourself.”

In reality, without self-care I had very little of myself left to give to anyone else. In addition, my wounding pattern perpetuated a victim mentally that was modeled to me through my parents. I was repeatedly taught to sacrifice my own well-being and allow others to define my reality. It wasn’t until I learned how to heal myself from Graves Disease that I finally connected all the dots. Throughout that process, I had never been so cared for in my entire life.

Fast forward to a decade later of deepening my relationship with self-care, which has shown me a very different way to live, and I now know without a doubt that self-care can transform anyone’s life. Instead, it is actually selfish not to self-care. By taking responsibility for ourselves we are doing a great service and truly caring for everyone.

As a business owner working from home, I do have a tendency to over work, over give and over do, especially since my business is heart centered and I have a deep desire to serve. However I’ve learned to practice discernment. My boundaries have been set not to upset others, but to honor myself. Not everyone deserves access to me, especially those who take more than they give. Or those who have without conscience drained and hurt me time and time again. As a result of these changes, I now feel inspired. It now feels normal to make self-caring choices and honor myself.

Through expanding my relationship with my higher self and inner wisdom, I’ve also come to recognize that there is a strong link between setting boundaries around self-care, and developing your own intuitive abilities, which further motivates me to honor my commitment to self-fulfillment long term.

So if your boundaries are constantly being crossed, chances are you are also ignoring your intuition.

This shows up in your life as:

Turning a blind eye to things which make you uncomfortable.
Engaging with people in situations that you know drain your energy.
Saying yes when your intuition is screaming no.
People pleasing and avoiding upsetting others by staying silent even to your own detriment.

A word of advice? If you also want to develop your intuition, start by honoring yourself. Practice listening and responding. Trust your intuition and take action based upon its guidance.

I also invite you to begin noticing when you are people-pleasing, over-extending yourself, or trying to prove your worth or earn love. And take a moment to pause and remind yourself that you are already inherently worthy of being loved and valued just as you are. If they are unable to see your value and that you are worthy of love without you proving it to them, perhaps they aren’t meant for you.

The whole idea around personal or spiritual development revolves around building emotional resilience and healthy boundaries. That is something I am always working towards myself, and that is something I teach now.

People will still be overbearing with their expectations of you, however you can also remind yourself that you aren’t responsible for meeting their needs – they are.In discovering the truth about self-care and what it can bring to your life, you have nothing to lose but your exhaustion.

Andrea Firpo
Apr, 20, 2021

How to Make More Sustainable Choices for Earth Day and Beyond

With Earth Day right around the corner, I tend to do a mental audit of how environmentally conscious I have been during the previous year. Since last year was the year of the lockdown, a lot of the conscious choices I always leaned into were a bit restricted.

For example, we did not have the option to utilize reusable grocery bags at some supermarkets. I thought it was a bit extreme as groceries are the only items that enter these bags, but the choice was removed. I cringed at the idea of using the plastic bags every week so we opted for paper bags. The supermarket employees usually had a slightly negative reaction every time I asked for paper. I don’t think they much enjoy bagging in paper and I would imagine it is because the plastic option is quicker.

That is one of our biggest problems, convenience. So many of our items we use on a regular basis are chosen out of our own convenience and nearly all of them are not convenient for our planet. I’ve talked to many people about becoming more sustainable and I am met with a variety of responses. What I have found is that people seem to be unaware of what sustainability truly means.

For me, sustainable means being able to use what I already have in new and exciting ways. The idea of sustainability is not to go zero-waste or change your whole life immediately but being more conscious of your choices for now and the future. The whole journey is a mindset shift. Once you start looking around to see what you find value in or start thinking, “how can I reuse that?” — then a whole world starts to open up.

5 Ways You Can Start Making More Sustainable Choices:

Reusable Shopping Bags

All restrictions aside, reusable shopping bags are the best way to eliminate plastic single use bags. Americans, on average, use 1,500 plastic shopping bags per year and sadly only 1% are returned to the stores for recycling. Nearly all recycling facilities are unable to recycle these as it is difficult and costly. Reusable bags come in all shapes, sizes and colors. I think it’s a great way to show off you care in style!

Reusable Water Bottles and Coffee Cups

Stopping for a quick cup of coffee or grabbing a bottle of water is the most convenient option, but it is not the most eco-friendly. Sometimes making better choices can take some effort, but once you get in the habit of bringing your favorite coffee mug or water bottle, it becomes easier. Not to mention you would be saving 80% of waste from entering landfills between coffee cups and water bottles. This also will help keep microplastics out of our oceans and from our soil.

Switching from Freezer Bags to Stasher Bags

My husband is the chef in the family and we are big fans of buying in bulk and freezing what we won’t use for the week. We often will freeze entire meals. Stasher bags are a fantastic alternative to plastic freezer bags. Stasher bags come in different sizes to fit your needs. You can use them for snacks, everyday use for lunches or use them for leftovers and of course freezing!

Thrifting

This one is my all time favorite. I am a big fan of going to thrift stores not just for clothes but for coffee mugs, baskets, lampshades and more. I typically head to thrift stores during the holiday season to find those one-of-a-kind mugs for gifts or that silly something for a white elephant. Going to thrift stores or even RE-stores or the scratch and dents places is a great alternative to buying brand new because it not only gives appliances or the like new homes, but it keeps items out of our landfills.

Eco-Friendly Cleaning Supplies

Many people don’t realize the aroma from your regular household cleaning products can be as dangerous as smoking 20 cigarettes (each time you clean!). That is because what is inside is pretty dangerous to you and the environment. In fact, 80% of cleaners or laundry detergent is comprised of water. You are essentially paying for plastic and water and of course those harmful cleaners. Stay away from any with a -thylene, -hyde, -bens or -phates suffix, and definitely stay away from anything with ammonia and chlorine. I use Eco Sense products because they are plant based and come in concentrated bottles. I reuse the one plastic spray bottle, add my concentrate and the rest is my own filtered water. I like this concept because the concentrate bottles are much smaller so there is less plastic and one bottle of concentrate usually lasts me 4-6 spray bottles worth!

If you are looking to make some smarter choices for you and the environment these 5 ideas are great starting points. My family has been implementing these changes over the past several years and I can confidently say that it has improved our health, our mindset and helped our budget! It takes some time and some minor mindset adjustments to move away from convenience, but the end result will leave you and our planet feeling pretty great.

Sierra Cheetham
Apr, 19, 2021

On Grief and Gratitude

I was 23 and living in New York.

And life was a combination of marketing classes, PR internships, and the pure enjoyment of the treasure that is NYC. I’d managed to find a one-year master’s program that would allow me to start in Rome and finish in New York. Dream. Come. True.

After all, I’d followed my father’s advice: “Travel, study, and then travel some more – you’ll have the rest of your life to work.” Over a decade later, I wish I could thank him for this spot-on, painfully true piece of wisdom. I arrived from Rome a few months earlier and life in New York was everything I never knew I wanted, needed, and longed for. This was my city.

And it was also in my city where I got the call – the one you’re never prepared to get; the one with news you’ve only catastrophized about.

On The Life-Shattering

It was 5:00pm on a warm summer Sunday when my aunt Ana called. She’s one of my mother’s four sisters who lives in South Carolina and who had called me earlier mentioning she might have to come to NY for a last-minute conference — there was no last-minute conference. The words: “Oh sweetheart… I wish I was there to tell you this in person,” came out of her mouth in a broken voice. I’m sure it was hard to say, and I can assure you it was harder to hear.

“Your dad…” she said.

What followed made my legs feel like Jell-O, and I fell to my knees.

It was like somehow the roadrunner mistook me for the coyote, and dropped a 500-pound ACME anvil from a cliff, crushing the life out of me. I had spoken with my father the night before. He told me he’d been to our old house (which he was looking to fix and sell) with a handyman that was highly recommended by a family friend. He said they’d go back in the morning, so I asked him to be careful and to call me when they were done.

To this day, I don’t let anyone into my house to fix anything if I’m alone. No matter how “well recommended” they are. My aunt told me that the handyman, along with an uninvited helper, robbed and killed my father. I’ll spare you the details. He died in his house. The house I grew up in; The house he’d purchased over 20 years earlier, when he was a newlywed, a first-time dad, and an entry-level accountant. This all happened before 9:00am on that Sunday morning while the neighbors were having breakfast.

I can only describe learning about this as pure, raw shock. The truth is, that the fact that my father was not alive anymore did not register in my mind – realizing that I would not see him again, or hear his voice, or have him in my life – was surreal, to say the least. And I was not there. I wasn’t as far as Rome, but a five-hour flight felt far enough I promise you that.

When my aunt mentioned she had already booked my flight for the next day, I felt the first sliver of serenity.

On Grief

My roommate heard me drop to the floor, so she stepped out of her bedroom and found me in the living room sobbing over the phone. She kept her distance. She allowed me to be and to feel without overwhelming me with questions and nonsenses like: “Don’t cry.”, “It’ll be okay.”, “This too shall pass.” — which I deeply appreciated.

Looking back, I was at the perfect place, with the perfect person going through the most imperfect situation. I’m unsure of my capacity to have handled so many emotions, coming in from so many places and so many people, if I’d been home. My journey with grief and gratitude started right there. With her.

On Friends and Family

I can say, without a doubt, that my father’s death established the silent recognition of the friends that I call friends and the friends that I call family. Let me illustrate. My father died on a Sunday and I arrived at Panama on a Monday. By Tuesday, one of my closest friends (who lived abroad) was already at my house. And within a few days, my best friend, who doubles as another sister, arrived too. I’m unable to put into words the level of sanity, support, and safety they gave me. They were home to me. They were family.

I had extraordinary emotional support coming in from my closest friends, most of them from high school. They came to my house, we reminisced on my father’s anecdotes, his randomness, his unparalleled devotion to his daughters, and his dad jokes. He was the king of dad jokes. I was grateful for them. I was grateful for the family members holding up my mom. I was grateful for my sister’s own friends, whom she called family, for being there for her and with her.

On the Worst

You know how most of us have that “worst thing that could happen” lurking in the backs of our minds? Well, that worst thing happening to my dad was mine. My father was my safe place.

In my mind, no one loved me more, no one accepted me more, no one let me be myself more, no one was prouder of me, no one would love my (unborn) children more, no one would protect me more, no one would ever care more about me and what happened in my life, than him. He was not perfect (and, who really is?), but he was my number one fan, and I was his.

And now, he was gone.

On Gratitude

I wasn’t supposed to speak at his funeral. And suddenly, I had to walk up to the altar and address a crowded church. My memory fails to remember anything before or after that speech. I just remember saying this: “I thank God for lending him [my father] to me for 23 years…”

I promise you; I don’t know where that came from. I can only infer it was a higher power turning on my survival-mode switch, helping me make sense of a father-less existence through the lens of optimism (or, positive realism as I prefer to call it).

Regardless of religion, faith or spiritual beliefs – gratitude saved my life. It helped me survive without anger, bitterness and cynicism. It helped me survive my father’s death with hope, acceptance, and peace of mind. And even though the pain never left, it was gratitude that allowed me to find the perspective I needed to move on. To keep on living a wholehearted life.

It reminded me of how lucky, (and blessed) we were for having a father who was cautious and thoughtful enough to make the arrangements – those that ensured we weren’t left on the street if something happened to him.

He made sure we didn’t have to leave our home, nor be left at the mercy of any family members to take us in. I was fortunate to have a father who believed education was the most valuable inheritance. One who made sure we learned English and who taught me to be independent and reliable; A father who loved me unconditionally, and who tried to teach me the value of money and financial freedom. Much of what I experienced was through the lens of “this could be worse”, which at the time was the only rationale I could accept.

However, it’s not about accepting adversity by thinking things could be worse, because you know what? They could be better, too.

It’s about remembering where you’ve been, what you’ve gone through and where you are now – to remind yourself of how far you’ve come and to admire the good that sits with you and that has happened to you. It’s almost too easy to fixate on what’s wrong and to find the negative in every situation. Yet, being able to recognize all the goodness in your life, to value what’s going well for you (amid the struggle) – and to do it consistently – has the potential to change your life.

And this is what I refer to as a Gratitude Mindset.

On Cultivating Gratitude

About six years ago I read this in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, “So, by changing your mind, you change everything.” I’m not promising these actions will change everything. What I can say from experience, is that they have the potential to help you sneak in gratitude into your life, as you sneak in vegetables into your kids’ meals.

These are some simple ways that help me keep my perspective, and my gratitude, in check:

Starting and ending the day listing the five things you’re most grateful for. From finding your favorite plant-based protein powder (that’s usually out of stock), to your health, your dog and your spouse’s kindness.
Acknowledging when shit almost hit the fan, and didn’t. From thanking every deity that prevented you from crashing into that parked car you didn’t see, to regaining your breath after realizing you almost sent that message to the wrong person…or group chat.
Remembering the epic. And imagining your life without it. From the time you met your spouse or your life partner, to the birth of your children, to getting your pet Shih Tzu, to that soul-nourishing trip, to getting your dream job. Nothing was inevitable. These things happened for you and they could well have missed you. It can be powerful to remind yourself of how extraordinary it is to have these people (and pets) in your life, and to have experienced these moments. Can you imagine life without them? (Me neither).

It can be powerful to remind yourself of how extraordinary it is to have these people (and pets) in your life, and to have experienced these moments. Can you imagine life without them? (Me neither).

On Emotional Validation

Feeling gratitude does not dismiss feeling frustration, sadness, discomfort or disappointment. It can coexist with these strong, and at times, overwhelming feelings. My objective is to remind you that even if your perspective goes for a long walk, you always have the power to bring her back, and to potentially transform your life with a mindset (and an attitude) of gratitude.

Jit Garcia
Apr, 13, 2021

Healing From Chronic Illness: Why Mindset Matters

True healing is multidimensional and includes more than the physical body. It’s a combination of nutrition, movement, self-care, sleep, etc. all of which work together to create an environment for the human body to reach optimal health. Mindset is a huge component of healing that is often overlooked in the treatment of chronic illness, yet it is the foundation of healing and it is the foundation of igniting your inner strength.

When I first became bedridden, more often than not, I was frustrated, resistant, negative, and hopeless. I was exhausted from fighting to survive, every single day. Fighting for my health was a constant challenge, from the second I woke up to the second I closed my eyes for bed (and if it was a night with high symptoms or insomnia, well that was even more exhausting). I was so depleted that it was extremely difficult to laugh, joke, or even smile most days. At the time, my mindset was most often negative – it was just my default. I felt like it took too much energy to be positive, energy that I didn’t have. I accepted positivity from others, sometimes, but I rarely truly internalized it. Slowly, I started to gain awareness of how this negativity was affecting my everyday life, my relationships, and my own healing. One day, albeit years deep into the journey (better late than never), I said enough is enough, and I decided that I was going to flip the script. It was time to start cultivating a healthier mindset.

Of course, this didn’t come easy and it surely did not happen overnight. It took a great amount of time, learning, and effort to shift to a healthier mindset, and truthfully, I believe it is a lifelong process. Throughout this journey, I have used many tools to move through difficult emotions and to cultivate a healthier mindset, such as meditation, gratitude, and journaling. I even sought help from a therapist who helped me work through deep rooted emotions and traumas. Slowly but surely, I started to feel different, a little bit lighter, a little bit more hopeful, a little bit more joy, and a lot more empowered to fight for the life I knew I deserved. Although I had already been in treatment for years, it felt like I was finally starting to heal.

Now, when I am asked what I would do differently on my health journey, I say “the number one thing I wish I had gotten a handle on sooner was my mindset.” Because in hindsight, all those years with an unhealthy mindset made my journey more difficult, more painful, more isolating, and I’ll even venture to say that it significantly increased the time it took me to heal. I’ll explain why.

Why Does Mindset Matter?

The mind and body are so deeply connected. Our bodies have a physical response to what we hear and say, out loud and to ourselves. When we are dealing with difficult situations in life, like chronic illness, it is likely that we will feel overwhelmed, upset, angry, and we might even start saying to ourselves, “this will never get better.” When persistent and if not handled properly, this type of thinking can overcome us, becoming a consistent negative mindset. Then the snowball effect begins.

A persistent negative mindset leads to excess stress, which causes the sympathetic nervous system to fire up, putting us into fight or flight mode. This fight or flight mode is great at protecting us from immediate threats and danger, but it is meant to be a short term stress response. When the nervous system is fired up like this consistently, the body thinks it is always in danger, stress hormones remain high, and the body’s normal functioning gets disrupted. In other words, healing is the body’s last priority.

For healing, especially from chronic illness, it is important that we activate our parasympathetic nervous system, also known as rest and digest mode. Our heart and respiratory rates decrease, digestion increases, and our bodies are in a relaxed, resting state. This tells us we are safe and our body has the space to do the work to heal rather than dealing with excess stress.

In my experience, I noticed that the more I cultivated a healthier mindset, the more often my body was in a restful state and the better I felt. There is great impact in shifting the mindset from negative to positive, and this shift plays a direct role in activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Healing is an inside job as much as it is an outside job; when we do the inner work to move through difficult emotions and shift towards a healthier perspective, it creates noticeable shifts in the physical body, including relieving tension, reducing physical pain, and of course reducing emotional pain. This isn’t to say that you should never feel negative feelings or think negative thoughts again. It is normal to shift back and forth, but what is most important is choosing not to stay in the negative. When we no longer let the negativity live in our body, we experience a greater sense of peace, calm, and freedom, all of which allow the body more space to heal. When we believe we can feel better, we do better. This is why mindset matters.

How to Start the Shift

The first step towards a healthier mindset is to embrace our situation. When times get tough, we often try to push the discomfort and pain away. We might feel like a victim or get stuck in the “life is unfair,” “why is this happening to me?” and “I will never get better” mindset. We disapprove of ourselves and our situation. To some extent, I think this is a normal human response, but at a certain point, our body is going to believe our thoughts. When we stay here, we are giving our situation the power and allowing it to control us, and it can cause feelings of hopelessness as opposed to feelings of empowerment.

What flips the script is when you allow yourself to feel all of these feelings, make the conscious decision not to stay there and then move through them. Here, you can embrace your current situation without all the negativity and judgement of yourself. Embracing your situation can reduce overwhelm and resistance, which in turn will reduce stress. Embracing your situation takes the power away from your illness and puts the power back in your hands. In this space, you will feel empowered to make positive shifts in your life so you can live the life you know you deserve and ignite your inner strength.

Courtney Fryer
Apr, 08, 2021

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