I can do more than I think I can.

I spent the past week rehabbing a house built in 1910. I spent a lot of time doing home repairs I never thought I could do, like sanding and hand staining hardwood floors. Throughout this process I learned something about myself...I CAN DO MORE THAN I THINK I CAN.

using a hand sander on the stairs

And that led me to wonder something....

How often do we allow limiting beliefs about ourselves and our abilities, limit what we actually do? 

"I don't know how to fix that."

"I'm not flexible enough for yoga."

"I'm not good at public speaking."

"I could never give up ________ for my health" (fill in the blank with your food vice of choice. The ones I hear the most are cheese or sugar). 

But what if we actually do know how, but have never tried? What if we can actually do those things that we've always been told we can't or have told ourselves that we can't? 

So much of our abilities have to do with what we tell ourselves we can or cannot do. What if we choose to replace "I can't" or "I don't know how" with "I'll learn how" or "I can try" or even (gasp) "I CAN do that"? I imagine, we will find, like I did this past week, that we CAN do more than we think we can. 

finished product after staining

When we are told or we think we can't, we feel limited and defeated. But when we declare....

"I CAN do yoga."

"I CAN fix things." 

"I CAN change my eating habits to more healthy choices." 

"I CAN go out on a limb and share my story with others through public speaking."

"I CAN do ________ (whatever it is that we've been saying - or others have been telling us we can't)"......

........then we feel empowered. 

So here's my challenge to you: 

Say, "I CAN!" and "I WILL!" 

Do it for yourself. Do it for your emotional, physical, and spiritual health. Be empowered and empower others with your story. 

Unbreakable Me

Things do not always go as planned. I trained, practiced, worked hard, and made it through form, applications, and even weapons in my karate promotion to receive my brown belt....All I needed was to break two simple boards, something I had done many times before. My step up side kick was strong...I had never failed to break with a kick. But I was nervous. I had been struggling with my palm heel strike, unable to break the board with any hand strike since I returned from vacation nearly a month ago. 

(This is a photo of my daughter's first board break.)

My final test before receiving my brown belt....I did two practice kicks and two practice strikes off to the side of the board. They were strong. I stepped up to my board to kick first, since I was confident I would easily smash through the board with my kick. My plan was to harness that energy into my palm heel strike and smash the second board. I kicked once, hitting with the wrong part of my foot. (What just happened? I've never done that.) Frazzled, I set myself up again, and kicked a second time, striking with the heel but my frazzled energy must have messed up the force, because it still didn't break. (How could this be? I've ALWAYS been able to break with this kick.) So much for harnessing the energy, I walked over to my other board, refusing to allow both boards to defeat me. I guess I was upset enough with that other board that I took it out on this one, because I smashed it with my first strike. One last chance on the kick...I set myself up again, and kicked. I actually heard it crack....but it did not break. I bowed to my board holders and my teachers, still uncertain of what had just happened and how I was feeling. I was not going to rank advance. My daughter received her brown belt just a few nights prior, and my husband was receiving his brown belt that night, but I was not. My fellow red belts were moving on, but I was not.....not yet anyway. 

I sat down next to my karate friends and knew that although I did not break both boards that night, I did conquer the board that had given me grief for so long, and I felt good about that. I also realized that I have been given two more months to work harder, practice more, and break more boards in order to finally get my brown belt. The extra work and effort will make that achievement even more meaningful. 

I know the feeling of not advancing, and now with every board break I will see that brown belt tied around my waist. With every board break, I will see the black belt that is waiting for me on the wall of my school, and know that this is just one step not only in my advancement as a karate student, but also as my advancement as a person. I have felt defeat, but I have not allowed it to defeat me. It is my hope that my children will better know how to handle disappointment in their own lives from watching how I handled my own disappointment, and I know I will be stronger because of this experience. 

Happy, Healthy, Beautiful Skin!

For quite a long time my skin care routine has pretty much been hand soap and sunscreen.  Honestly, I'm lucky to have good genes, so my skin handled that fairly well. However, even with genetics on my side, my combination skin was not balancing adequately with this soap and sunscreen routine. I had dry patches in some places and tiny little bumps on my forehead. 

After many years of this simple, yet inadequate skin care routine, about a month ago, I went out on a limb and decided to try something new. Many of you know that I am picky about not only what foods I eat, but also what products I use. I want a product that will not only give me great results, but that is also plant-based and not tested on animals, and I am happy to say that I have found a skin care collection* that fits all of these criteria. I wish I had before and after pictures to show you, but like I said before, I have genetics on my side, so in my case the changes that occurred from this change in skin care are less visible and more about how my skin feels. 

When I first decided to try this new skin care collection, I talked with a friend of mine who lives in a dry climate, and she talked about how much she loves this particular collection because it gives her skin the moisture it needs while living in the desert. I worried that it might give my skin too much moisture, since I live in an area with more summer humidity. However, I decided to give it a try anyway, and I'm so glad I did. 

This skin care comes with a cleanser, toner, hydrating serum, and moisturizer. This might sound like a lot to do, especially if your previous routine was only two steps, but honestly the whole routine takes only a couple of minutes. Also, in the past when I've tried other skin care products, I've had to use two or three pumps at a time, but with this product collection, when it says "one pump," it really means one pump. That is truly all that it is needed to get great results!

Here are just a few of the things I have noticed about my skin since starting my new routine:

• The little bumps on my forehead are noticeably reduced (almost entirely gone).
• My skin glows, and not in an oily sort of way. It has just the right amount of moisture. I no longer have dry patches and oily patches. It is all evenly balanced. 
• It is great for skin in varying climates. Just as my friend in Utah said it helps her dry, desert skin, it worked great for mine in my bordering midwestern/southern state summer humidity. In fact, even on vacation, in the sweltering hot, humid Florida sun, my skin remained perfectly balanced....even with a layer of sunscreen on top. 
• This collection lasts about two months, so I'm not spending a fortune. In fact, when talking with others about how much they spend on similar skin care products every month, this is a bargain!

If you are looking for a balancing skin care routine, look no further. Contact me for more information about how you too can have healthy, glowing skin with natural, plant-based ingredients, and save 25% off the retail cost.

Be well. Be beautiful. Be you.

Shannon 

* New guidelines prohibit me from posting an image of this skin care collection or calling it by name in a public forum; however, if you contact me, I can share more information with you about this wonderful collection!

Living Without Limits

This week I was challenged once again by some of my yoga students. I love that we learn from each other, and last night was no exception. As we prepared to begin class, I noticed that on this particular day three of my students had obvious limitations. One student was wearing a fracture boot, another student had recently had minor surgery on her arm and had restrictions regarding weight-bearing exercise with her dominant arm, and another has been undergoing laser treatments on her foot. I took a moment to talk with each of these students before class began to determine whether I needed to change my class or whether simple modifications could be made to poses. They each opted for the modifications, and decided to (quite literally) go with the flow. Throughout the course of our class, I witnessed many three-point poses: downward facing dog, plank, upward facing dog, reverse plank, and reverse table top poses using only three of their limbs rather than four. Two students lifted one leg during the poses, while one student balanced on her non-dominant arm. 

This expression of yoga without limits reminded me of Matthew Sanford's Adaptive Yoga, yoga for people regardless of ability...regardless of mobility. In Adaptive Yoga, it is more about feeling the energy flowing through us and allowing that energy to move us in ways that perhaps we would otherwise not be able to move at all. It is a lesson we could all learn...to focus a little less on our bodies and focus more on what is within us.

And so it was with these wise and wonderful yogis last night who challenged me to refuse to accept limitations, and to push to challenge myself more....to try new poses and to prepare myself to be able to adapt. Guess it's time to practice my non-dominant balances. 

Be well.
Shannon

Out with the excuses, In with the love

Let's face it, most of us do not look like a cover model on Yoga Journal magazine, and our yoga flows aren't always as graceful as those on our favorite yoga DVDs. In fact, many times we look at some of those poses and think, "No way can I put my body into that position." In my years as a yoga teacher, I've lost track of the number of times someone has said, "I'm not flexible enough to do yoga." Many of these assumptions about yoga come from stereotypical images of a yoga teacher or student in a pretzeled out, advanced yoga pose. I often wonder how many people have never tried yoga out of fear of not being flexible, skinny, twisty, bendy, or whatever enough. 

I was never athletic growing up. In fact, gym was always my least favorite subject. I suffered a back injury just crossing my legs that ended up requiring surgery at the age of 16 years old. Despite being a yoga teacher, I am still not athletic. I have run (and I use that word loosely) one 5K ever, and don't plan on doing it again. Because of my back injury, I do have limitations, and I have learned out of necessity to listen to my body. 

Listening to the body is what I encourage everyone to do when they come to my yoga classes. I tell them that I will give instructions to guide them through poses safely, but that it is their responsibility to know their own bodies, because the reality is that we are all made differently and we all have different abilities. 

Earlier this year I took part in a daily yoga pose challenge. The challenge was to try a new yoga pose every day. The poses were pre-selected, so there were definitely some poses that my body simply would not do. When I first encountered such a pose, I actually skipped that day. However, after skipping one pose, I decided I would not allow myself to do that again. Rather than skipping an "impossible" pose, I would find a modification of the pose or do a different pose altogether.

Doing my own thing.

One of the things I love about yoga is that it is not competitive. It is actually more contemplative. So what I was able to remind myself during the daily yoga pose challenge is that it really doesn't matter what we look like in our yoga pants or whether we are doing the poses like the DVD or the cover of the magazine. 

My soul-nourishing, belly laughable attempt
at a modified variation of a handstand.

What always matters is whether the posture feels good (and safe) in our bodies and in our very souls. 

It didn't feel good to my body or my soul to miss a day of yoga just because I was unable to complete the assigned pose, but when I challenged myself to choose a different pose or modify the pose, even if it looked silly, my yoga practice was doing what it is supposed to do to begin with....nourish my body, mind, and spirit. 

So next time one of those excuses creep into your mind telling you you're too (fill in the blank) or you're NOT (fill in the blank) enough, I want you to take a moment to breathe, and mentally say to yourself as you inhale and exhale:

(Exhale) "Out with the excuses."
(Inhale) "In with the Love."

Then remember that when you take the time to listen to your body and your spirit, you will create the space to make that situation or that practice or that whatever it is your very own, and you will find nourishment for your mind, body, and spirit.

Be well.
Shannon

Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

My breakfasts are normally pretty predictable. I'm a morning smoothie person. However, when I was creating my menu and grocery list for this week, I was suddenly struck with this overwhelming craving for quinoa with berries, mango, walnuts, and shredded coconut. So this morning, I mixed things up, gave my blender a day off, and made this super delicious Quinoa Breakfast Bowl! 

Top photo: Before eating
Bottom photo: All mixed up and ready to eat

 

I love this breakfast because not only is it absolutely delicious, but it is also so simple, and jam packed full of nutrition! Calcium, anti-oxidants, tons of vitamins and minerals, proteins, carbohydrates for energy, and so much more! 

It would also be super-amazing on top of a bed of mixed greens, with a squeeze of lemon, and a little mint. (I will probably do this next time.) 

                                                QUINOA BREAKFAST BOWL

(everything is pretty much "to taste")

• 1/2 c cooked quinoa (1/2 c dried quinoa + 1 c water, let boil, turn down to low, and cook covered for 15 mins. This will make more than 1/2 c, so save leftovers or share with a friend or loved one.)
• sliced strawberries
• handful of blueberries
• chopped mango
• chopped walnuts
• unsweetened shredded coconut (sprinkled on top)
• optional additions: mixed greens, lemon juice, mint leaves, sprinkle of cinnamon 

Be well.

Shannon

Cheap vs Frugal

We've all been there. Trying to save money, so we buy the less expensive item, only to have it break long before we had hoped, and in the long run, end up spending more by replacing it...sometimes multiple times. 

For my family, it's the blender. What we really want is a Vitamix. Who doesn't, right? But dishing out upwards of $400-600 for a blender/food processor seemed excessive to our family. So what did we do? We bought a smaller, much less expensive brand. What we discovered is that while it was good for some things we wanted to make, it wouldn't quite do the job with other food processing needs. So then we bought something else, a little more expensive, but still about half the price of a Vitamix. There are still times it doesn't work quite as well as we would like, but for the most part, it's been great....until the last couple of months (we've only had it about a year). Recently, we've had two mishaps with our blender: (1) The spout cap fell off and disappeared, so now when I need to blend, I have to put a piece of aluminum foil or plastic wrap over the top spout and hold it there so the contents don't splatter everywhere, and (2) it has started to crack on the inside. So we tried to save money by going with the cheaper blender/food processor...twice. The reality is that in buying those two blenders, we've spent about the same amount as a Vitamix. Lesson learned. 

What I have learned from my blender (and from any number of other "cheap" purchases) is that while the less expensive item might save you money in the short term, we end up spending more in the long run. This is the difference between "cheap" and "frugal." Cheap will cost you less in the short term, but in the end, sometimes the "frugal" option is the Vitamix. 

The same is true when we look at health care and essential oils. A lot of people look at the essential oils that I talk about all the time and say, "They're too expensive." When we look at the short term cost, they do seem "too expensive," because they cost more than that little 5ml bottle at the grocery store. However, when we look at the long term cost, what we find is that while we spend more upfront, we actually save more long term. 

Did you know???

• A 15ml bottle holds approximately 260 drops, and because with high quality oils (something else you're not guaranteed with the "cheap" oils), typically only one or two drops at a time is all that is needed.
• When your essential oils start running low, you can dilute them with fractionated coconut oil to extend the life of your oils without reducing the effectiveness of the oils.
• For many basic health concerns, a few drops of oil can solve the problem without a
  
  trip to the doctor. One drop of oil costs anywhere from approximately $.09 - $.90 as opposed to a $25 copay to the doctor + prescription costs. (There are definitely times when a trip to the doctor and a prescription is necessary, but there are also a lot of ailments we can take care of ourselves when we have access to the right tools.) 
• I prefer to get my essential oils through a wholesale enrollment (The oil company I use is only $35 - like a Costco membership), because it saves me 25% off the retail cost every time I shop, and there's no obligation to purchase a certain amount or even every month. (Also, if you bundle your oils by enrolling with a kit, the cost of the enrollment is included. And as with all bundles, the bigger bundle saves you even more!)
• Through the particular essential oil company that I use, If you decide to purchase a minimal amount monthly, you will receive a percentage of your purchase back to use toward FREE oils and wellness products. 

So as you can see, buying these "expensive" essential oils can actually save you money.

So the question is: Cheap or Frugal? 

When it comes to health, I'd rather be frugal than cheap. If you agree and are interested in learning more about how you can save on your health care costs through essential oils, please contact me to learn more.

Be well.

Shannon