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As a health coach, I often have hard conversations with people. One of the hardest ones I have is on making the leap to investing in one's own health.
(This is a super honest piece. Be prepared) I think there are many things in play when one is challenged by cost even despite knowing full well that the product or service in question is going to help. The Fear Of Success Yeah, it's an odd fear, but if we look inside, we see it in one aspect of our life or another. It's darn scary for us to imagine ourselves getting what we want...the impossible becoming possible. Being happy and satisfied is often a future fantasy which also acts as an excuse for us to be miserable in the moment. Once I get what I want, then will I be truly happy? (Of course this is a much deeper philosophical question, and I believe that happiness is a state of mind independent of material and physical things. But this is how it overlaps with taking the bold step of paying for a service that will help you feel better). Believing You Are Worth It There, I said it. It's the brutal, honest truth and I see it daily. I don't fault a single woman for this. It's not our fault. It's simply a weight that we carry. (I carried this weight myself for many years) I see mainly women in my line of work. I notice that most women from almost every culture have been conditioned, over many generations, to put themselves last. We care for everyone around us first, and if there is anything left, we grudgingly give it to ourselves. We have been made to believe that we come last, and our needs are not as important. It's tragic AND it's up to us to break this pattern. No one is going to do it for us! As women, we need to start seeing ourselves as precious and worthy of care. Our health in turn will nurture the health of those we care for, and make us all more resilient overall. Learning to Love Ourselves Yes, this is a follow up to the last point, but it is also worthy of its own paragraph. As women we have forgotten how to love ourselves. And without self-love, there can be no self-care. Manicures and pedicures are not self-care. Indulging in wine and chocolate is not self-care (at least not when done regularly). There really is no role-modelling in the modern world for good self-care. We have masked true self-love with things like impulse shopping, late night dark chocolate, and self-improvement hobbies and activities. Until we learn to love ourselves, we cannot commit to nurturing our spirit, and till then we will not be able to spend money on the things that are truly, deeply good for us. How Spending Habits Hold Us Back. It's so easy to spend on the daily little pleasures (coffee, chocolate, take-out, movie rentals...) which easily add up to few hundred dollars per month. Yet it can be scary to put down a few hundred bucks on something bigger, even though it amounts to the same number in the end. We have been trained mentally to get the best deal, seek easy pleasure, and spend the lowest amount we can to get what we want. If a $6 bar of chocolate can give me instant pleasure, why spend $300 on a health program, right? Of course we know that's not true, but yet its a habit, and its hard to break out of it. The first moment I took the brave step of investing in myself, I felt like I had shattered a glass wall around me. I felt so incredibly free. Since then I have never looked back at spending on my self-growth. In fact, I am wary of anyone selling something that's too good to be true. If it's valuable, I know I will have to pay for it. Period. And I am okay with that cause I know now that it's always worth it! I often ask people who come to me to make a list of what they spend monthly on:
I guarantee that this adds up to over $300 per month (which is what it would cost, at the most, to work with me). I also guarantee that you will be spending much less on all these things after you work with me, and for your foreseeable future. Take The Leap If you have not taken the leap of investing in your wellness before, try it! If not with me, then with someone else you know that can help you. I know this takes trust. Trust that if you want something bad enough, the universe will support you. Trust that you will find the resources to make it work. There will always be competing priorities for that investment $. The money is rarely just sitting around without other pressing needs demanding its use. So, in the end you have to trust. And you have to know that you are worth it. (If you need a reminder, talk to me and I will tell you) My dream is to bring all women to a place of self-love, self-care and self-compassion so they can live their best lives, in their most radiant health. If you are ready to take the leap, and want to find out how Ayurveda can support you, book a complimentary 20-minute session with me here.  Sitting in silence (aka meditation) is a powerful practice. This practice is not based in any one religion; rather its a tool employed by all traditions, in one form or another, to gain control over our monkey mind, and enhance self-awareness.
However, a sitting practice can be elusive for many people. Sometimes the mind is too active, or else the body is restless, or we are just in a pattern of distracting ourselves. Also, the benefits of meditation are subtle, so it's hard to actually feel them, which makes it demotivating (and even frustrating) to stay with the practice. This is all very normal, and we can work with it. So let's talk about how we can gently prepare ourselves for cultivating a sitting practice. Small steps towards breaking the incessant pattern of "doing" and pausing the mental busy-ness can go a long way in avoiding the frustration a beginner can encounter when first trying to meditate. I call this creating spaciousness. Spaciousness of mind is an excellent pre-cursor to meditation. Hear me out. 
Each of the three Ayurvedic doshas come with with their own predominant mental qualities. Vata, made of air and space, brings creativity and intuition. Pitta, that is predominantly the fire element, comes with intensity and passion. Kapha which is earth and water, carries a predisposition towards love and peacefulness.
When in balance, these qualities can serve us well, and support our dharma, or purpose and chosen work. When they are pulled out of their natural state of balance, these same qualities can manifest in a negative way and harm our inner well-being. Vata, when out of balance, creates scattered-ness, overwhelm, and anxiety. Vata people get pulled into future possibilities and lose touch with the present. Kapha imbalance manifests as attachment, mental heaviness and being stuck in the past. Pitta, when heightened, leads to fiery qualities like anger, an over-critical mind and explosive emotions.  As a family, we have been recently enjoying this very simple Ayurvedic version of a milk shake. My two daughters who usually love all things cold and sweet (ice cream, milk shakes, smoothies...!) are now hooked to this filling and invigorating milk drink.
First of all, let's talk about milk. Ayurveda is a big fan of cow's milk for its ojas increasing properties. The word ojas in Ayurveda refers to the overall glow or vitality of a person. It includes a person's strength, immunity, energy and contentment. If you digest cow's milk well, then it is an incredible medicine for your system. Milk also helps cultivate the quality of sattva in the mind - that of calm, wholesomeness and bliss.  Be Radiant, my health coaching program, is based on the wisdom of a traditional naturopathic philosophy called Ayurveda. If you are new to Ayurveda, read on to learn a bit more about Ayurveda and how I use it in my work
Ayurveda is an ancient health science from the east. It dates back to over 4000 years, and is possibly the oldest traditional system known to us today. It is more than a medicine, really, it's a way of life. Ayurveda is also recognized as the sister science to yoga, and traditionally is used in tandem with it for enhancing the vitality of the body, mind and spirit.  There are foods and drinks in every traditional culture that are good for maintaining beneficial bacteria in the gut. In Ayurveda we use buttermilk. The ancient texts say "The one who drinks buttermilk regularly will never suffer from disease". Now, do we need any more incentive than that??
Buttermilk is an excellent tonic for anytime of the year, and for every body type. It promotes appetite, calms the digestive system, and helps with assimilation of nutrients. 
I am excited to share this guest post from one of my favourite Vancouver yogis, Maitreyi. Its a recipe that every Ayurvedic practitioner knows and loves; and a drink that adults and children can both enjoy equally. Its is a great alternative to tea and coffee, with the same pick-me-up quality, and unlike regular chai, no cost to your life-force levels. Enjoy!
Chai chai recipe...And the Tantra of Tea Chai means tea in Hindi and masala chai means spiced tea. My grandmother never let the kids have chai because tea and coffee according to ayurveda are habit forming. Plus both are said to increase pitha and acidity , which increases grey hairs. No woman wants that! 
Khichari or khichadi is a simple one-pot dish that is used in Ayurveda for healing, cleansing and rebuilding. It is very nutritious, easy to digest and balances all the ‘doshas’ or constitutions. Ayurvedically speaking, its good for anyone to use, anytime! Khichari is a complete food. It has a unique combination of rice and dal (protein and carbs) that contain all 20 amino acids for maintaining and building your body. It has the essential fats you need for everyday health and if you add vegetables, it officially has all the daily food groups.
Khichari is one of those dishes that, once you try it, you can’t help but make part of your weekly meal plan. It’s just so satisfying, and also ridiculously easy to make. I often put a pot on while I eat breakfast and then pack into thermoses for our family’s lunches 20 minutes later. Here is the recipe I use.  I am about to share with you a little trick that will help your body recover after you eat a decadent dessert and have a surge of sugar flooding your system. This trick will leave you the talk of your holiday gathering.
But first, lets talk about Turmeric, that vividly yellow powder you can buy at the grocery store and put in your curries. Turmeric is currently trendy in the West and has been for some time now. You have probably seen “Turmeric latte” listed at your local café, or tried a fresh turmeric shot at the organic juicer. 
Flu season is around the corner, and viruses are getting more vicious by the year. It is time to pay attention to the health of your immune system. Ayurveda provides incredible insights on how to use food and good eating habits to keep the immune system resilient.
The first thing to understand about the Ayurvedic approach, is that it sees each person as unique - an individual product of genetics, lifestyles and age. If you find yourself generally susceptible to colds, you may need to take more care than others who are graced with a more robust system. |
