snowy stone...unhappy

%#@&*#...
GROOOOWNDHOG!!!!!!

the friday stone

Fill your day with sparkly things. I do...it makes my eyes glow.

Have a joyful weekend!

Pennywise Platter Thursday

For all of us that want to continue to eat really healthy, nutrient rich foods and NOT spend a lot of money doing it....check out NOURISHING GOURMET'S Pennywise Platter. This week she has a link to a delicious Moroccan Chicken Stew. It is a very easy crock pot meal and perfect for a chilly winter evening. Also, check this out....Rich, Dark Hot Cocoa that just happens to be dairy free and refined sugar free. Another treat for a cold winter's night.

Have a wonderful day!

Dry Skin?

I don't know about you, but lately my skin has been quite dry and itchy! Here's some things I discovered work really well...

Soap that does NOT have sodium laurel sulfate in it. I have fallen in LOVE with Skin Trip Coconut Soap. They have a coconut lotion that I love too.

When my skin gets really bad, I rub in a healthy amount of Bag Balm. I am telling you...it WORKS!


If your scalp is itchy and dry too, get shampoo that doesn't have sodium laurel sulfates too. It won't be as sudsy but it will get your hair clean and get rid of the itchies. Recently, I tried Deva Curl's No Poo Shampoo. I LOVED it.

Here is a link to a really cool blog for healthy green products...Nature Moms.

Healthy skin from the inside...be sure you are taking some kind of fish oil daily. My absolute favorite is Green Pasture's Blue Ice Fermented Cod Liver Oil. I think it is the best on the market and it is endorsed by the Weston A. Price Foundation.

Have a great week and stay healthy!

friday stone

i hope your friday is wrapped up in a big red ribbon too!

have a great weekend everyone!

my bowen weekend

Some of you know that I am in training to complete my Bowenwork Certification. This weekend I successfully completed Module 4 of 6! This weekend we reviewed and practiced procedures learned in 1-3 and learned the Bowenwork procedures for ankle, hammer toe, bunions, upper respiratory, TMJ, and forearm.

It was a great weekend and I am still overwhelmed at the amazing effectiveness of this work.
The Ankle Procedure is used to help with ankle and knee problems, cold feet, peripheral circulation problems, plantar fasciitis, heel spurs. Runners LOVE this one and the...
Bunion and Hammer Toe Procedure for helping with bunions and hammer toes, tight feet, balance issues, painful toe joints.
The Upper Respiratory and TMJ Procedures were the most profound for me. Probably because I grind and clench my teeth something terrible. I don't have TMJ but my experience of having these two procedures done helped my jaw relax, my sinuses drain completely, and I slept so well that I woke up in the same position I fell asleep in. Here is a shortened list of what can be helped: allergies, asthma symptoms, hay fever, influenza, colds/cough, sore throat, ear problems migraines/headaches, teeth grinding/clenching.
The Forearm Procedure is just wonderful and it feel SO good! Helpful for painful forearms, wrists, hands or thumbs, carpal tunnel syndrome, repetitive strain.

I posted a video of a news station in Canada doing a cover story on Bowenwork over on KateDeriso.com if you would like to check it out. As soon as I get my own video recorder, I will be making my own little bowen videos too!

Have a wonderful day!

the friday stone

I HATE SNOW.


my mother, on the other hand, thinks it's funny to put me out in it.


i am not amused.

Nourishing New Year's Resolutions Carnival 2010

I am joining Kimi over at the Nourishing Gourmet in her postings of this years Nourishing New Year's Resolutions Carnival. These are resolutions that focus around "What new things we want to learn about and incorporate, old good habits we want to resurrect and new habits we want to form"

Here are my resolutions and promises for myself for the New Year:

1. Journal. I find that the more I write, the less I turn to food and the more mindful I am in all areas of my life. Check out Julia Cameron's book The Writing Diet.

2. Drink more water! I find that currently I have to work very hard at this. My goal is to simply make this a habit so that I don't have to think about so much. It should be second nature for me to be drinking 3 liters of water a day.

3. Make More Lacto-Fermented fruits and veggies...and eat them! I've made my own sauerkraut, and after a couple of trials and one explosion of cabbage ALL over my kitchen, I think I have it down. But in order for this goal to happen, I am taking a cooking class this week with Monica at Simply Being Well. I will not only refine the art of sauerkraut making, but learning how to make lacto-fermented pickles, salsa, apple butter, and more!

4. Bring food with me and pack my own lunches. I have fallen into the rut of..."Well, I'll just pick something up if I get hungry". Even though this may not be a lot of money to do once in a while, those $7-$15 lunches add up a LOT when you do them a few times a week. No more for me. I will diligently and mindfully bring my healthy homemade food and lacto-fermented veggies with me! I got a start on this goal yesterday when I packed my lunch:




I packed up in my 3 compartment metal food container: gentle lentil stew, lacto-fermented sauerkraut, and beets. I also snacked on cashews and dates to satisfy my sweet tooth. You can find containers like this one over at The Tickle Trunk.






What are some of your Nourishing Goals for this coming year? Please leave me a note!

celebrating my mother

this is my mom, judy. this photo was taken out of the window of her apartment in paris in the late 1960's.

it was 7 years ago yesterday that she died. i am not always sad, but i miss her. i talk to her everyday and she is with me always.

in my bedside table i have a letter from her that i read often. on the outside of the envelop it says, "kate- this is to be opened in the event of my death". she wrote this on november 13, 1982. it is written as if she sent it to me yesterday.

i read this letter because i still need to hear that she loves me and is proud of me. but my most favorite part of this letter is her reminder to me "that what you are for other people and what you do for them is the most important measure of your success".

i love you mom.

happy winter solstice!

happy winter solstice!!!!!

december 21st is the winter solstice and the longest night of the year. i think it is wonderful and healthy to celebrate these long dark nights with healthy grounding foods like hearty stews, a pot roast, soup, homemade bread, fires in the fire place, candles burning, hot tea, hot mineral baths, and long nights of sleep.

sleep is something to be celebrated and not thought of as lazy. there is a wonderful book you might be interested in called "Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival" by anthropologist T.S. Wiley, where she talks about the night being the time of the spirit, spiritual communion, and meditative healing. also, research shows when you sleep for 9-14 hours a night during the winter (like our ancestors did), the "brainwave readings are akin to those observed during transcendental meditation" and that our bodies release higher levels of endorphins.

here are some of my winter solstice tips:

*make time for at least 9 hours of sleep, even if it is one day a week.
*turn OFF the t.v.
*take the time to cook something for yourself and your family.
*take a hot bath
*light lots of candles and turn off the electric lights in your house.
*walk outside every day for at least 20 minutes. yes, it may be cold, but bundle up and do it anyway!
*take a hot yoga class
*keep in mind that from today forward the days will continue to slowly get longer and that there literally IS light at the end of the tunnel.

BATH THERAPY:
draw a bath of the hottest water you can tolerate. be sure to have a few glasses of water near by so you can replenish your body as you sweat. add 2 Cups of Epsom Salts + 1 bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide (yes, an entire bottle). if you'd like, you can add a couple drops of your favorite essential oil. soak as long as you can ( i usually try for a minimum of 20 minutes). surround yourself with lit candles, soft lights, and maybe a good book to read while you soak. when you get out, wrap yourself up and go to bed!

take good care,








making a snow angel!













thomas not happy about falling in a snow bank.















our winter blizzard walk!

the friday stone

ok....it's not quite stone but his long lost cuz.

we just returned from a magical and relaxing vacation in xcaret mexico at the xcaret resort. this photo was taken at the xcaret park. the resort was on the property of a nature preserve where there were lots of kittehs...








lizards everywhere!










beautiful blue butterflies.










macaws.







and my favorite....the baby sea turtle. this little guy was doing back flips in the water and living a wonderful life that this place help made happen. he was one month old and will be released into the ocean at 3-4 months. i wanted to hold one so bad but they were so good and not letting the animals get used to human contact so they have a better chance of survival when they are released.

what will you do today?

today=

*morning meditation. ganesh mantra siddhi jaap "om gam ganapataye namaha"

*home practice and prep for teaching intermediate yoga class tonight at down dog herndon 6pm

*lunch with mom in law at angeethe. love indian food!

*cook dinner

*teach yoga! come and join me at 6 pm. (see above!)

enjoy your weekend everyone and remember i have some open spaces on saturday for bowenwork. all sessions $55. just give me a call!

up coming events this week!!!!

this next week will be full of yoga and bowenwork for all!

YOGA
join me this week at the herndon down dog studio !

monday 6pm + 7:45 pm all levels

wednesday 6pm + 7:45pm all levels

friday 6pm intermediate


BOWENWORK

i have 2 openings on tuesday december 1st at 1pm + 2pm.

also a few spots on thursday december 3rd. make your appointment soon! they get snatched up pretty quickly.

if you can't make it during the week, i will be open for appointments on saturday december 5. this is my only saturday for the month of december. book your appointment now!

all bowenwork sessions are just $50!

what can bowenwork do for you? well, here is a list of just some of the conditions that respond favorably to bowenwork...

*back pain + sciatica
*hamstring injuries
*digestive problems
*migraines and other headaches
*hip, knee, ankle, and food problems
*neck and shoulder pain
*carpal tunnel

Thanksgiving in New York with the Family

happy thanksgiving everyone!

thomas and i left at about 8pm on tuesday evening thinking we would have better luck at that time with the holiday traffic. we were incorrect! this turned out to be a very long drive with traffic back ups and accidents. my first gratitude of this thanksgiving holiday was that i was safe, healthy, and alive. i do NOT love the new jersey turnpike.

we arrived at 66 and west end to wake up my cousin at 1:30am, get a few hour of sleep before heading out onto the streets of nyc to spend the day at the met. we could have spent days there in that amazing museum. here is just a little bit of what we saw and were allowed to take pictures of without a flash...



wednesday evening we skipped going down to watch them blow up the balloons for the parade because it was raining. instead we ducked in to ollie's noodle shop for some delish chinese food + hot green tea. then it was off to queens to visit aunt margaret.

thanksgiving day was filled with laughter, cooking, cleaning :) , looking at childhood photos, a break for bowenwork for sore backs, and eating the most delish thanksgiving dinner i have ever had. thank you aunt margaret! she put so much love and work into that dinner and you could feel it! she actually soaked the turkey for a whole day in brine!



thomas + christina cleaning up!

thomas and i headed home at 10 am from queens and made it to his mother's house in reston by 2pm. better timing then on the way up there. we are home...safe, sound, grateful.

blessings to you all!

friday stone

SMILE!!!!

have a great weekend everyone!