Day 4
Gratitude:
1) One of my most amazing friends asked me to be her bridesmaid last night and I am so honoured and touched. I am so overjoyed to be there for her and her man on their wedding day. Very excited!! It kind of felt like I was being proposed to when she asked! I immediately yelled out YES!! YES! as soon as she finished her sentence. Such a special little gift so close to Valentine’s day!
2) Windsor suffered the loss of a truly beautiful human being back in November. Kevin Couvillon was the kind of person that everyone adored, he touched everyone’s lives and was an inspiration to many. His parents have a lot to be proud of. He passed from Leukemia and his parents recently donated $20,000 to fund research on the anti-cancer properties of dandelion root extract. Not only is this research Naturopathically relevant, the research is taking place in the lab I did cancer research in for 5 years at the University of Windsor. This is the kind of stuff that warms up my heart.
Meditation: Today’s meditation was called Earth Body. It’s about tuning into the Earth around you. Eoin walks you through a meditation that focuses on the minerals in your body, appreciating where you came from, what you’re made of… It’s important to get in touch with Mother Nature every once in a while.
Yoga: Strength and Stretch. I was not prepared to do a ton of push-ups in between downward dogs today but that’s exactly what this class was all about. It pushed me to the limit, but invigorated me enough to get my day going properly without being totally exhausted. I wasn’t sure I was ready for a “strength” class today but in the end, I really enjoyed it.
Food Awareness: This one’s half gratitude half food awareness. I’ve never been one of those typical Toronto people that walks around with their Starbucks… but my friend introduced me to Apple Chai Tea Infusion…and I am very grateful for that. While it technically doesn’t exist on the menu anymore, if you ask a Starbucks veteran to make it for you, they will. It’s hot, but sweet, and the chai gives it a zing that keeps you wanting more. I don’t like coffee, but this single cup of goodness has turned me into one of those “Starbucks” people. They even know me by name now…
Nature Appreciation: Dandelion is called Taraxacum officinale. When I first learned of naturopathic medicine (which unfortunately was only 4 years ago), one of the first herbs I read up on was taraxacum. A book of herbs said that it’s interesting how Mother nature tends to provide certain regions with herbs and nourishment that the region and the animals and people living in it specifically need. We spend so much money on chemicals to kill pesky dandelions in the summer, but really, they’re our friends. These little yellow buggers are filled with goodness: it’s antirheumatic, anti-inflammatory, can be a laxative, a choleretic, a diuretic and as mentioned earlier, it has been shown to have anti-cancer properties as well. Excellent for liver detoxication and purification of the blood in asian medicine. This is one of my favourites for sure.
commit to bliss 