Are you challenged by constantly running a “go-go-go” life? Is it difficult for you to feel calm, effective and efficient as a busy professional? You may think that in order to have these qualities you would need to belong to a gym or perhaps a yoga center. These are only part of the solution. What we are talking about is transforming your daily life to an organic and seamless flow with your own nature.
Please join me and several other wellness coaches for our “Awaken the 8 Pillars of a Healthy Life”. In this challenge you will awaken the 8 pillars for a healthier lifestyle: LIFE NOURISHMENT BODY SPIRITUAL CONNECTION RELATIONSHIP HOME WEALTH BEAUTY Each one of these pillars plays an important role in creating a healthy life. We will guide you step-by-step through the process of transforming in each one of these important parts of your life. This 8-Day Challenge starts on Monday, October 19, 2020. If you missed it, contact me and I will personally coach you and provide the tools you need. Enhance productivity, effectiveness, clarity, efficiency and longevity: Strengthen your Immune System Free your Nervous System for more Energy and Peace of Mind Cleanse your way to Health Redefine Healthy for Modern Living Lifestyle as Nourishment Food as Medicine Routine as Rejuvenation Connect the dots between Health and Quality of Life Join our team as we support the transformation needed for today's world. This isn’t a magic pill---it takes work and a whole support system to affect change. Awaken the 8 Pillars of a Healthy Life for Busy Professionals is the support system you need. Group support, coaching and recognition of your unique body type by trained practitioners is what creates measurable results on your path of optimal energy, effectiveness, efficiency, resilience and productivity.
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Here I am. It is 2 a.m. and another long night.
I lay here recovering from hip replacement surgery. I am grateful for my new hardware and the medicine to help me get my life back. I can already tell the choice to have my hip replaced was a good one and I look forward to full mobility and no pain soon. Beginning week two, my days move just as slow as my nights right now. I lay around, take short walks to the kitchen and bathroom, exercise in bed and ice all day long. I am fortunate to be recovering quickly and without too many medications. I take aspirin to avoid blood clots, anti-inflammatory for swelling and Tylenol for pain. I tried the narcotics, but they left me depressed and foggy-headed, so I let them go immediately. I can’t wait for the day to dance again, hike again and bend over to tie my shoe again! You may be asking, “how did this happen to me when I have been so involved in yoga, healthy food, and healthy lifestyle”? I have asked myself the same question for the past four years. All I know is one day I was fine and the next day I was not. At least that is what I thought. It all started in 2016. Dad got sick in September and quickly declined after his fateful fall in October. He shattered his right hip and shortly after died. Simultaneously, I awoke the next morning with a bone spur and hip dysplasia. For four years it continuously got worse. I felt like half of my identity died when my father died. Half of me cast into the underworld traversing a maze of ancestral genes, stored in my body. Not being the type to lay idle I decided it would be a good time to excavate. My past became an archeological dig site. Skeletons of pain and betrayal began to emerge. I discovered that generations of resentment had left their mark on the landscape of my pelvis. I implemented state-of-the-art technology. Lifestyle changes, energy work, water only fasts, vegan diet, bio feedback, ayahuasca, sound therapy, ozone, lights, stem cells, and more but it wasn’t until that moment when respected professionals told me it’s time for a full hip replacement that it hit me. “I had a problem that I couldn’t fix.” To have part of my body removed was like taking a long-standing infection out of me. A hitch hiker hiding in the bones of the ancient past removed and replaced. I am so grateful for the amazing technology of Western Medicine and what they do best! Surgery. An implanted treasure of titanium, cobalt and glue restored the integrity of this body monument. I am SO grateful to my husband Peter, and to my sons Cameron and Evan for their part in this archeological expedition, turning up treasures hidden from view. I could not have done it without a team. With new eyes and new perspective my heart is now capable to hold more love, freedom and adventures to come. I feel like I have a new life in front of me and I am SO EXCITED TO LIVE IN TO THIS NEW FUTURE! by Karen Barbarick-Collins 5:30 a.m. I awoke in a panic. I jumped out of bed, put on my clothes and got in my car. I couldn’t breathe.
This is not a new sensation for me. I remember the first time I encountered it was when I was 4. It was my first surgery. Next was at 7 caught in domestic abuse. Then again at fifteen I was raped. The list goes on and on in fact extreme panic arose in me at least once a year. Sometimes it goes on for weeks, and sometimes for months. Often for no “Real Reason” and yes, even a yogini can experience panic. My first response is to cover it up. Hide it with anger or frustration. To lash out in protection of myself. It’s been going on most of 2020 as I am heavily triggered by meaningless deaths of the elderly, blacks, babies, and animals. Guns, bombs, and natural disasters along with finger pointing politics. It really got to me this morning. Last night I felt despair. I reacted on my husband. I reacted on my ally, my partner, my friend. This morning I woke in a panic. Chest caving in, coughing, gasping for air. The Sun hadn’t lifted to view when I got in my car, the morning light was peeking through. I found myself in nature. One of my favorite Ancient Oak trees. I borrowed some breath. Just for me. I felt the presence of stability. The tree seemed to like my visit too. I am writing this because so many are triggered, and suffering paralyzed by panic and fear. Covering it up with anger, grief and despair. A whole array of destructive emotions. I encourage anyone experiencing panic and feel to self-conscious to reach out, drowning in cannabis, alcohol, adderall and sleep aids. Whatever your thing is. Find an Old Oak tree, or Sequoia, Redwood, or Fir. Any tree the older the better! Befriend the tree, breathe with it and when the wind blows listen to it. It may very well be here long after you are gone. And, if you feel so inclined, find a human being to share with. Be vulnerable and brave. We are not designed to “Have It All Together.” As human beings we will never “Have It All Together”. This is the illusion. We are vulnerable and frail. Alive for a short time, surviving then thriving, surviving then thriving, then dying. This is what it means to be a Human Being. Love and Tenderness Always, Karen Barbarick-Collins “Come on let’s go” Dandelion said. The sun was just coming over the ridge as we set out on the trail. We
were looking for Clary Sage. “It’s best to get an early start before it gets too hot. The sun burns the oils right off the leaves," she said. “How did it get the name Clary?” I asked. “It comes from the Latin word Clarus. It means clear. In ancient times they used it to help with vision and eye fatigue. Sometimes they call it Clear Eyes Sage.” “What’s the matter with your eyes Dandie?” She didn’t answer. We walked on in silence through the meadow. “The wild flowers are so beautiful” I said. “So colorful”. “I can’t see the color” Dandie said. “Ever since Ben was shot.” The Deep Red Blood On his Dark Brown Skin Turned Dull Gray. She turned to me and stopped. “The wild flowers are all gray” she said. She turned and started walking again. We passed a stream and some wild blackberries. “Wait a second” Dandie said. We stopped next to a Sassafras tree. She reached out one hand and laid it on the tree. She put her other hand on her heart. Her gaze turned toward me. I put one hand on the tree and one on my heart just like she did. “Sassafras says we should slow down” she said. “Yeah” I said. We both took a long deep breath, with an even longer exhale. “I think we’re finally here” I said. “Maybe” Dandie said as she looked at me. She turned back to Sassafras. “Are we in the right place?” she asked. “That depends on why you’re here”, Sassafras said. “We’re looking for Clary Sage” “Look in your heart” Sassafras said. “If your heart is clear you’re in the right place.” “I can’t see my heart”, she said. “Your eyes are not the only way to see.” Dandelion kept her focus on Sassafras. She didn’t move a muscle. And her eyes. They didn’t blink. She reached out, searching with her hand. “We all have blind spots” Sassafras said. “You can’t escape them.” “It started when Ben was murdered” she said. “It started long before that” he said. “Before you were born.” “What’s your favorite color?” he asked “Yellow” Dandelion said. “What color are you afraid of?” he asked. “White” she said. “Would you kill it if you could?” “Yes.” “Would that bring Ben back?” “Ben is here” she said. In the purple flower of the Milk Thistle With its sharp prickly leaves. In the Black Oak tree The way he walked Strong and tall I feel his wisdom rising From the soil A light breeze rolled across the meadow. Just a little puff, here and gone in the time it takes to breathe. “I can smell the sage”, Dandelion said and started to dance. Moving toward her, my body agreed. “Ben loves sage, don’t you Ben?” “Yes, Ruby Slipper is my favorite,” he said. “We’re looking for Clary Sage today.” “What is it you want to see?” Ben asked. “A color blind world.” she said. “Why would you want that?” he asked. “Without color the world would be a very boring place.” “Yes, and you would still be alive.” “Don’t worry about the end Dandie. Look for the beginning.” Ben stood in the shadow of the tree with patches of sunlight slipping through, landing on his chest. The leaves of his heart unfolding to the day. In the fields And the cracks in the stone You can find me Looking for the sun To some I’m a Flower with secrets to discover To others a weed Unworthy of life Come see me in the morning When darkness Gives way to light And be a fearless lover Especially in the shadows Slivers of the night. “Where are we?’ Dandelion asked. “We’re In the meadow.” I said. “You, me and Sassafras.” “Why are we here?” she asked. “To find clary sage.” I said. “Yes, my brothers and sisters,” she said and started walking down the trail. “I thought I was your family” I said. “You are my family. You can have more than one family, you know. A family of friends, a plant family, an animal family, a family of enemies.” Her voice trailed off as she spoke. She stopped and held out her hand to me. Her little pinky finger was curled around like a hook. I reached out with mine. We curled into each other and smiled at the the clear, bright flowers of the sage. From lilac to blue they danced with us in the morning sun. “Have you ever seen a Dandelion crying?” “No I haven’t” I said. “They always seem so happy.” “I know” Dandelion said. Ojas is a Sanskrit word in Ayurveda which means the state of one’s immune system. Your physical health is a product of ojas.
Ojas permeates the whole body and is infused with life force and radiance. It creates stability in the heart and the brain which allows for calm and poise in an individual. A person with strong ojas is resistant to disease. Ojas gives lustre and strength to the body. It is shiny, sweet, and slightly yellow in color. Now more than ever we need to be responsible for maintaining our own healthy immune systems. In this article I will offer techniques to build Ojas by using its beautiful essence of yellow color in your life. Below is a list of several foods with deep yellow colors that contain phytonutrients. These are essential to keeping the plant alive by protecting from insects, fungi, and the sun. Ghee (Clarified butter), revered as one of the most precious oils in Ayurveda, a tonic slightly golden yellow in color it is known to help build ojas with healthy fats in the form of omega-3’s or 6’s, it is lactose free and helps keep our joints lubricated, skin and hair lustrous, insulate our bodies, provide protection for our internal organs, power our brains, lower cholesterol and prevent acute and chronic disease. Yellow Squash Loaded with vitamin A, B6, C, folate, magnesium, riboflavin, potassium it has ample amounts of calcium, iron, and beta-carotene. Yellow Peppers During summer when the body loses water and vital electrolytes through sweating these are an excellent way to hydrate. This sweet pepper is drenched in vitamin C. Yellow Bananas Botanically considered a berry. Bananas are a rich source of carbs, high in fiber and starchy pectin which makes it great for cultivating gut health. Be careful not to eat too much as banana’s are high in fructose and therefore high in calories. Lemons Give flavor to baked goods, sauces, salad dressings, marinades, drinks, and desserts with lemons. They are also a good source of Vitamin C which is essential for health. The early explorers knew this and took lemons on their long voyages to help prevent or treat scurvy, a life-threatening condition that was common among sailors. Yellow Dandelion These flowers are more than a stubborn weed that grows in your yard. This blood purifier is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. The flower itself opens with the morning sun and closes in the afternoon. The dandelion flower is full of polyphenols which are micronutrients that improve or help treat digestion issues, weight management difficulties, diabetes, neurodegenerative disease, and cardiovascular diseases. Put a few flowers in hot water with golden honey for a healthy blood tonic. Golden Milk This blend of turmeric, honey, ghee, cinnamon, and warm milk (vegans can use almond milk) strengthens the immune system by reducing inflammation, preventing cell damage, improving mood, supporting brain function, and preventing heart disease. It also reduces the risk of cancer and lowers blood sugar levels. Another way to boost Ojas is to strengthen your 3rd chakra. Chakra means wheel in Sanskrit. This wheel can spin at a rate that is harmonious with the health (ojas) of a person or it can spin out of control wreaking havoc on the body. Strengthening can be done with yellow sapphire, gold jewelry and pastel yellow clothing or gaze upon a yellow flame for meditation. The 3rd chakra is where we draw our will-force from and is considered our power center. It also harbors the health and strength of our pancreas, liver, gallbladder, and small intestine. Our power center dictates our mood, our self-esteem our self-discipline and our instinct. It also is what gives warmth to our personality. Lastly, I want to impress the importance of yellow Sunshine. When natural sunlight hits the skin, it triggers the body's production of vitamin D aka the “Sunshine Vitamin”. It is a crucial ingredient for overall health; protects against inflammation, lowers high blood pressure, helps muscles, improves brain function. Sunshine reduces depression by increasing serotonin and bathing in the sun in the morning hours is best. There is so much more to share about yellow, gold, and ojas. For now, my hope is to strike your curiosity about what it means to have a strong immune system and that every time you reach for yellow or gold your intention is strength, stability and Ojas. The point is we must seek to be aware of the strength of our immune system. You can bet that if your angry, tired, malnourished, dehydrated, feel anxious and unloved your immune system is low. On the flip side if you feel joyous and grateful, shiny, and bright with stamina, calm, radiance, and light you are blessed with health and a strong immune system. Blessings on your yellow journey! |
AuthorKaren Barbarick-Collins is a Certified Ayurvedic Technician and Wellness Coach, an Accredited Neuro Linguistic Programming Coach and a Registered Yoga Alliance Teacher. She is the founder of Bending Blade Healing Arts. Archives
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