Fall Foliage

I am in awe of the tree. I frequently bring it into counseling as a  metaphor for our lives. I see the tree as a tool for grounding, balance and resilience and guide clients in visualizations of becoming like the tree in their own energy. So, what is it about trees that elicits this response in me?
Have you ever seen a tree that is two hundred years old? Its roots plunge deep into the earth with both solidity and gracefulness. Looking at a tree is like gazing into the eyes of an old soul; you can feel the wisdom emanating from within; she is not going anywhere and is comfortable in her own skin.
Can we say that? How many times do we want to run from ourselves?
Trees have the amazing ability to be foundational, stable and flexible under any circumstance. It is extraordinary that a tree can withstand warm, hot, cool, cold, snow, sun, wind, rain, hail, ice and storm and still stand strong. It is precisely because it is rooted so powerfully that it is capable of resilience. When we, too are grounded in our core, we can adapt to our ever-changing circumstances and environment. It is then that we can bend and sway but not break when life comes at us; we can be with life as it is, maintaining our self-esteem, confidence and personal power. We can be passionate and protected at the same time.
It doesn't matter if your mother says something critical or you have a difficult night with your boyfriend; if you suffer a real loss or feel stress. If your core is solid and your path is clear, then nothing can take you away from your vision ultimately becoming your reality. It is the decision to allow you to stay connected to you, no matter what, that is most important. What are your goals; your dreams and your passions? Who are you and who do you desire to be? No one and no thing can take you away from your truth; unless you say so.
As the seasons change, the tree adapts as well, shedding, growing and changing colors to match the environment needed to survive and to thrive. What do we need to do to adapt more easily to our surroundings yet stay in our core? What leaves do we have to shed? What new colors do we need to bring in? Perhaps you decide to let go of the sadness of a relationship ended and shift into possibility and hope. Maybe you try something completely new and colorful in your life; something you've always wanted to do but never dared.
Yesterday, when I drove up to the Berkshires with a friend to see the fall leaves, we were overwhelmed by the beauty of perfection. Each of the hundreds of trees had an aura of godliness surrounding it. As we drove through canopy after canopy of color; reds, burnt reds, bright yellows and oranges, we understood the mystical nature of the tree.
We are given the gift of nature to teach us how to live according to our truth. A tree can only be a tree; a cloud a cloud. They know no different than to be who they are; perfect as they are. Because we are given the gift of cognitive ability, we begin to question the rightness of who we are. Let us use our minds not to criticize ourselves, not to question ourselves or put ourselves down, but to enhance the already-existing perfection of who we are. When we begin to embrace ourselves as perfect, we  start to take on the beauty of the tree; some of us red, some yellow and some orange; some with leaves and some without, but all perfect exactly as we are. It is from this place that we truly live.

No More Latkes...Please!

It's cold outside today. The days are darker and the wind has been whipping. You may notice unusual or "old" emotions and physical feelings surfacing or resurfacing. Plus, it's the proverbial holiday time; time for feeling oh so joyful. What if you're not???
More on this in a minute...

Today's Food:
No Breakfast - detox
Lunch: 2 tangelos
small bowl of raw almonds
fork-ful of raw nutella cashew cream pie (!)

Dinner:
Large salad with radicchio, red leaf lettuce, carrot, avocado and mushrooms, with garlic stuffed olives, nutritional yeast, olive oil, Bragg's Amino Acids, sea salt

20 oz. water

Dessert
Piece of raw nutella cashew cream pie
YUM!!! This pie was made by my friend and raw chef Joy Perlow, inspired by Ani Phyo's cake recipe

Today's RawReformBlog, from Angela Stokes-Monarch, includes a brand new song by Angela, part of which came to her in a dream.
Being that this has been a week of deep emotions for me, I so loved listening to her sing this song and wanted to share the link with my readers. Here it is; enjoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfsHG5RyU5g
Thank you, Angela!

There's a talk I give this time of year entitled, "10 Tools to Take You Through the Holidays." I've taught it since 2003. It's all about how to keep in balance this time of year and many have found it valuable in navigating their own jouneys through the holidays; Thanksgiving through New Year's.
There is an expectation of how we should feel during this season of joy. It does not take into account that holiday time is also a time we might remember those we have lost and often find ourselves missing them. Additionally, it is a time when our food and our schedules are turned upside down and issues of body image, "willpower" and stress can come into play.
I found this happening to me. I have not felt this way in many, many years.
But i did not heed my own advice of balance.
I am in a glorious new relationship, which of course means later nights, less sleep, shifts in some daily routines and days without working out! or does it.....
It did for me, and I understood that new love, as my colleague and partner in crime and couseling Joanna Bronfman said to me, releases new chemicals in our bodies, makes us feel like space cadets and often throws us off our game completely. But, she said, just let go and enjoy it! And I did.....and when my head was spinning, I ran to a yoga class, took a run and got my food back on track.
Then came Hanukah and latke time. For those who don't know, latkes are the potato pancakes we eat once a year at Hanukah, and they are delicious.
As a raw foodist, I choose to enjoy these yummy morsels of my heritage.
This year, I had the pleasure of walking into my aunt and uncle's beautiful home in Brooklyn, and seeing my aunt kitchen-deep in latkes; making about a hundred of them for the gathering. The kitchen was filled with the smell of warm oil and cooking potatoes, and I bathed in it. Then I ate a whole bunch.
Cut to the next day. My friend Liz and I engaged in our holiday tradition of making latkes; we made sweet potato latkes and wasabi latkes; and I ate some more. We drank Soy Nog, laughed and shared conversation as only two women can.
That night, we got together with a group of women to celebrate, and Laurel made zucchini latkes, leek latkes and sweet potato latkes; and I ate many more.
Cut to Tuesday morning; I felt lousy! I was foggy, low mood akin to depression, off balance and my whole immune system felt low. This raw foodist was hurting! I couldn't even distinguish which was real and which biochemical.
OK, I decided, I am so done with latkes this year.
Back to running, raw food, more sleep and juicy conversations with my girlfriends to share what I was experiencing, I soon felt much better.
All the beauty of a wonderful relationship and holiday tradition knocked me on my butt.
I needed to honor my personal needs. My body and psyche thrive on these four things:
Proper sleep, raw food, consistent exercise and time for me to connect with my spirit.
I will be writing more about this subject through the New Year.
Meanwhile, get clear in what you need to keep thriving and stay in balance through the holidays. Write in and share it with others....
And if you're eating latkes, they're great with apple sauce and sour cream!

The Simple Steps to Eliminate Cravings

Friday's Fabulous Food!:
Breakfast:
Fruit Elixir with water, frozen wild blueberries and banana
Laughing Giraffe Organics Raw & Vegan Cranberry Orange Cacao Granola

Lunch: at The Stand, Norwalk, CT:
1 1/2 fresh green juices with kale, collards, cuke, celery and apple
1/2 hummus avocado wrap in collard with raw almond hummus, tomato avo and sprouts
1/2 curried collard wrap with curry almond pate, red peppers, avo and sprouts

Dinner: at One Lucky Duck Takeaway, NYC!: Shared with my friend Lori
Taco salad: Romaine, spicy taco crumble, pico de gallo, guac and cashew sour cream; cilantro-lime dressing......aaooaoaoowwwwowowowo
rawsagna: Zucchini and Tomato Lasagna: Sun-dried tomato sauce, pistachio basil pesto, pignoli ricotta
Desserts:
Moonpie
Malamar - just think of these childhood desserts a la raw; deep, dark chocolate, cream and bliss
1/2 pint of raw oreo ice cream
complete contentment!

Today's Food:
Breakfast/Lunch:
Amazing fresh raw goat cheese from Amish land gifted to me (thank you, Josef!). This cheese rocks!
Nuts Online Pink Salt & Cracked Pepper Mixed Nuts & Seeds
Fruit Elixir with frozen wild blueberries and banana

Snacks:
Laughing Giraffe Organics Raw & Vegan Cranberry Orange Cacao Granola
Nuts Online Rosemary Garlic Pistachios & Almonds

32 ounces water

Dinner:
Salad with mixed lettuces, spinach and arugula, yam, beet, carrot and parsnip (from Genesis Farm); with sprouts, dulse, nutritional yeast and sea salt

Dessert:
1/2 pint Vanilla Almond Buttercup raw ice cream from One Lucky Duck Takeaway

Are you getting enough sleep? Are you drinking enough water? Are you speaking your truth?
Most often, when we have food cravings, it is from an imbalance in our body system. Our body system is our whole physical body, including our blood sugar, which frequently becomes imbalanced by the foods we consume; it is our emotion/psyche body, which tilts off balance when matters of the heart create deep, intense feeling in us; it is the energy body, when old cellular memory floods the chakra system and elicits conditioned responses from long ago and far away; and it is the spirit body, when our connection to our Divine Source becomes unraveled.
On the physical end, we always need to look first at the primary components of daily health; food, water and rest. Our food should be primarily plant-based, laying low on sugars, flours, dairy, alchohol and caffeine. Our water should try to come close to half of our body weight in ounces. Our sleep should equal the amount you know you need to give you energy, focus and an uplifted mood. When we start compromising these simple components, our body system tries to compensate in other, more depleting ways, resulting in low energy and an increase in sugar, fat and simple carb cravings.
In matters of the heart, when we stop speaking what we are truly feeling; when we stuff it all in; when we stop asking for the love we need and the touch we desire, we look to those imbalanced foods to fill the unfulfilled spaces.
As my dear friend Jessica said to me this morning, "It's always so much more profoundly healthy to say how we really feel than let the "elephant" sit in the living room unidentified." When we actually share the "unspeakable," a huge weight is lifted off of us, and the freedom we feel in our bodies takes the place of the food we were craving.

Take a moment for a self-check-in: Are you eating mindfully, drinking fully, sleeping deeply and speaking wholly?