Category Archives: Health and Wellness

Anti Antiperspirant Anniversary

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photo by Darci Fontenot who most certainly smoothed over my pits in editing since they were flaring up at the time this photo was taken.

This month marks one year since I stopped using antiperspirant. That may not seem like such a big deal but it has been for me. I have tried to keep my beauty routine as close to clean and green as possible since college. My roommate probably thought I was nuts when I unfurled my cruelty free pocket list at Target (this was before the “there’s an app for that” phenomenon) to make sure my shampoo wasn’t tested on animals. For me it started as an extension of eating vegetarian and has evolved as I have learned more. Your skin in the largest organ in your body so it only makes sense not to slather yourself with toxic chemicals that will go directly into your blood stream. I am a super sweaty stinky girl though and I just wasn’t able to find any deodorant that worked. I would try a natural product for a few weeks, maybe a month at a time. At first things would be fine but inevitably I would smell like a garbage can and have to go back to the regular stuff. Last year I started working with an acupuncturist and he not only recommended I clean up my diet a bit but also suggested I get rid of the yucky antiperspirant for good. I was nervous to try again but I knew it was important. And if I’m honest, even with the antiperspirant I was using, I still didn’t smell great a lot of the time. I figured I didn’t have much to lose so I went for it (in the heat of summer no less). I’m here to say it was not without it’s challenges but I am on the other side and grateful that I stuck with it. I got a pretty gnarly rash, which I am learning may have actually been from the heat and not from the baking soda. I was not willing to back down and kept going despite the warning to discontinue use if rash appears. For me what has worked this past year is Primal Pit Paste, we prefer the jars that you have a smear on yourself versus the sticks. After doing their pit detox, I now use their baking soda formula and (bless his heart for doing this with me) my husband uses the sensitive skin magnesium formula without baking soda. This is not sponsored in any way but since it has worked for me I might as well spread the love. I was just going to post this on social media but felt like is deserved it’s own separate blog post. I guess if there’s a moral to this story it would be, keep going even if you think you have tried everything. I figured I would never find a natural product that worked but here I am a year later.

Cheers to aluminum free pits that don’t smell like trash (most of the time anyway!)

Taking a Breiki

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My sisters were my first ever Reiki 1 class back in 2012. I have been teaching regularly since then and love sharing this healing modality. It gives me a lot of joy to play a small role in people embracing their inner healer. I also always learn from my students and feel a deep connection to myself and the energy each time I teach.

I’ve been resisting the call to take a break from teaching for some time. Why would spirit guide me to take a break from something I love? It’s easy to ask questions, but maybe we aren’t always meant to have answers. Trust is often all we have to go on when everything seems uncertain.

I believe intuition starts as a whisper and gets louder until you wake up to what’s being asked of you. So, I have finally decided to listen before the divine is forced to scream at me.

2019 is my year to scale back my classes entirely aside from the January Reiki master class I had agreed long ago to teach. It was lovely and bittersweet to have some wonderful souls share in my last class for awhile.

My break will include more weekends home to work on our house, the opportunity to learn other healing modalities (I am embarking on more yoga therapy this year), time for self-healing and self-reflection, and some things I probably couldn’t plan for even if I tried.

Reiki will still be a part of my life because it has been so intertwined these past years in everything that I do. I still offer individual sessions and incorporate it in many of my offerings. But the seat of the teacher is on the back burner for now. And I am at peace with it.

I don’t know what this year off will bring or what the plan for 2020 will be but if I had to guess I would say it will turn out perfectly and exactly according to plan.

Reiki master Jan 2019. Photo by Olivia Chapman Goss

Attunements (and funny faces) among the redwood trees. Photo by Olivia Chapman Goss

Disconnect from the Great Connector

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I love food! I’m one of those people who is thinking about food while I am eating food. Meal planning is a favorite hobby of mine and a game my mom and I used to play involved coming up with the most delicious thing you wished you were eating.

I was once a very picky eater and now am picky by choice. I’ve been a vegetarian my entire adult life and I try to stay in the realm of what I would consider healthy. Although it hasn’t always been the case, it’s getting easier and easier to be vegetarian, especially in California. I can typically always eat something close to what everyone else is having or will be offered an acceptable alternative.

My acupuncturist recently asked me to do a liver detox to address some imbalances he detected. I knew that I was going to have to do something like this so I have been mentally preparing. For three weeks I am giving up most of the tasty things I enjoy including dairy, gluten, sugar, alcohol and pretty much anything processed. I am only 7 days into a 21 day process but I am noticing how much food connects us to social experiences and pleasure.

In the last week I have been in various situations where I have had to decline the food being offered. It feels isolating to be the girl either not eating or eating something completely different. But I know it is temporary and it is tolerable. My health is my goal and that is so very worth it. Also, it is purely privilege that I am even able to restrict my diet for a specific purpose.

I can’t help but think about the parallel to life in this experience. How many people feel isolated and disconnected from society as a whole on a regular basis? How many people are always the ones who don’t fit the mold in any given situation? And for how many people is it not at all temporary?

It’s definitely not the first time I have felt disconnected from what’s considered the norm nor will it be the last but I find it interesting to observe the feelings that arise. Longing, worry about being judged, sadness, and feeling left out are just a few and this is only food folks!

The life experiences that this parallels are much larger and more permanent issues. It leaves me with a sense of compassion for the outsiders of the world. I am motivated to finish this challenge not only for my own health but also for the perspective that it grants me.

Hired!

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I’ve always said as a social worker that I will be able to find a job no matter the economy or location. It may not be the best paying or most desirable but there will always be work. With that said, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started a job search last month. Mental health care is always needed in many different ways but maybe it wouldn’t be so easy.

Luckily, not only did I get a job that almost perfectly fits my needs but I also got offers on a few other jobs that were not so perfect. I actually turned down a position and declined an interview for another one. That’s a first for me.

I’m happy to report that I am joining a local private practice Bay Area Mental Health that offers individual and group therapy with a focus on healing trauma. I started seeing clients this week.

I feel compelled to share this news for two reasons.

One because I quite emphatically said I didn’t expect I would go back into therapy. But after some soul searching and reflection I decided it’s my path to help people in this way. I have the skills and I value this work. It is sacred work. And one of my goals in this life is to find sacred spaces and sacred moments as often as possible. It is an honor to support people in embracing their best life.

And two because I am humbled and grateful to be in this position. I haven’t been working much and I really haven’t had to. I know this is a very unique situation to be in. I have definitely had to take the first job offered to me in the past and to be able to be choosy this time around is a huge gift.

I don’t know what the future holds but for now I am happy to be of service and to be back doing this work. It is an honor to sit in front of someone who is willing to share their life, including their pain and their joy, with you.

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Memories of May

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The month of May brought with it several anniversaries and some bittersweet memories. Four years ago this month I became a Reiki master and eight years ago I completed my masters degree and added MSW after my name.

I celebrated my Reiki master anniversary by teaching a level 2 class to some lovely healers. There aren’t enough words to describe how much it means to me to share this technique with others and it was a perfect way to commemorate this milestone. Reiki has brought so much love, healing and connection into my life. I am proud to have a growing group of students who are doing great work in the world.

In reflecting on my social work career, I find myself missing my college days (because really who doesn’t?!) but also my clients and the relationship I had with them.

At my first internship I was afraid to hang out with the clients in the milieu. What would I say to them? I also remember being totally baffled when someone said they forgot a client’s name and then laughing to myself when it was me forgetting. Yes, we establish close relationships with these people but we are human. And honestly some clients are more memorable than others.

It’s an honor to do this work though and it has been filled with moments of tenderness. I have sat and cried with a client who just lost her father. Another whose dog died suddenly. I have kept small keepsakes made or given to me by clients, I still wonder how many of them are doing and I remember the birthday of a client who died each year.

Professional boundaries keep us from being able to stay in touch, but it doesn’t mean we don’t remember the connections we have made which often happen in a persons most vulnerable times in life. We sometimes spend more time with our clients than we do with our own family and close friends.

I’ve been out of the social work game for some time now and I don’t know if I’ll go back. But I do miss the deep connections I made and that I got to be there for so many people when they needed support and comfort. I can only hope maybe they think of me from time to time too. And not even me per se, but something I shared with them or the feeling they had of being accepted and understood.

Faith and Flow

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My words for 2015 were Faith and Flow. I choose them before the year starts without much of an understanding of how they will play out. I allow them to unfold organically and trust that I brought them into my awareness for a specific reason.

Faith

I got married this year. And as much of a beautiful experience and wonderful blessing it has been, it did take some faith on my part. Faith that marriage was going to work for me, faith in myself and in my partnership. For me allowing marriage into my life has been a long process that faith definitely played a part in. This is the first full year I have spent away from my hometown, family and friends. We moved up north at the end of last year and a lot of faith has gone into accepting this as the right move for my little family. I have to practice faith in my husband to be the provider; he makes it pretty easy luckily. We received a notice to move out just after getting back from our honeymoon and had to hold faith that we would find a great new place in time. We definitely did and are so much happier in this new space. But there are the things that haven’t fallen into place quite as easily, It’s the disappointments and unanswered prayers that require even more faith. 2015 did not bring everything I had hoped and it requires practicing constant and ongoing faith that all is happening in perfect timing.

Flow

I just love this word! To me it is a state of mind, body and spirit and where I am connected to my highest self. It is somewhere I want to spend more time but a place I find somewhat fleeting. This year I found my flow teaching yoga and reiki, creating and delivering a yoga and psychology themed workshop, leading women’s circles and taking some amazing trainings. I flowed with more singing and dancing this year both on my own and in my circles. Aligning my flow with nature is something I explored more both at home and during some fun travels. I flowed into my new role as wife and primarily stay at home wife, or Domestic Goddess as we call it at our house. I had moments of flow in my own yoga practice and flowed into a new dedication to a daily meditation. Flow was my state when planning and setting intention for some awesome things for next year. To me flow is an organic state that we must allow although some planning doesn’t hurt as long as we stay flexible. Like seaweed anchored to the ocean floor, flow allows us to move freely while being grounded in our truth.

My words for 2016 are Grounded and Fertile.  I have some ideas of what I would like to see but I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds. Wishing you a prosperous new year with so much love and light.

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My best nine from Instagram are a pretty good summary of 2015

You Are Enough: On Body Image and Self-worth

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This gallery contains 6 photos.

I was thin from the time I was a child into early adulthood. My mom worried about me when I was young because as a picky eater I ate very little. It seemed as if I might whither away if … Continue reading →

Everyone Looks Beautiful in Savasana

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This last week I taught my first yoga class as a volunteer for a local mental health and social services agency. I was so happy to have the time and energy to be able to give back to people who do work that I know first hand can be extremely stressful. In fact, I had long lost my ability to give back more than what was required for my job and it was really affecting me. When I first got out of grad school I was full of passion and excitement to make a difference in the world. That included giving back to my coworkers and going out of my way to make the workplace more nourishing, Over time the work got to me and I didn’t like the bitter, jaded person I was becoming. I’m honestly not sure if I was cut out for the work I was doing, but from a very young age I have always wanted to help people and make a difference. I’m so grateful that I can now use yoga to help others. And in turn help myself connect back to the energy of giving. My favorite part is looking at the softened faces of my students as they relax into the final resting pose.

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Energy Healer Heal Thyself: A Self-Care Technique

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Since moving up north I have been hosting a Women’s Circle each month at the new moon. It’s been a great way for me to meet some new people and connect in a sacred way. I love facilitating the group and being nourished by the lovely women who show up each month. This month the focus was on self-care and self-love and I led the group through an energy healing technique to open the circle and ground. I was reminded of the importance of doing this on a regular basis for myself. I often find myself laying hands on my own body for various imbalances and ailments but I had not done a formal self healing in awhile. It helps balance out the body and energy system and can be done as often as you like. And since I fully believe that we each have the ability to heal ourselves, it was a good reminder for me.

It’s a great way to start or end your day or any time you feel like you need to relax or energize. The great thing about energy work is that you will get exactly what you need each time. There are versions of this in various traditions and they are all slightly different but I encourage you to let your intuition be your guide on this one.  The Reiki self-healing technique starts at the head whereas the Healing Touch self connection starts at your feet. But, depending on how you feel from day to day, you could start at your belly.

Start by taking a few deep breaths and get comfortable seated on a chair or on the ground.  Imagine that you are growing roots like a tree and feel yourself grounding. Set the intention that this healing will be for the highest good of all concerned and that you will receive everything that you need whether you know what that is or not. If you have the time and space you can light a candle or some incense and play soft music to set the mood but any time you can devote to this is fine.

Next start by placing your hands somewhere on your body. Again you can start at your feet and work your way up, the reverse of this, or any which way you like. If you are experiencing pain somewhere you could start there. As you place your hands bring your attention to this area of the body and imagine sending healing energy. This could be in the form of an affirmation, gratitude, imagining white light, or love. If you have learned any symbols associated with energy techniques or have something else that resonates with you, feel free to use that as well. Make sure you keep breathing throughout and imagine the fresh oxygen is flooding the area where your hands are.

Spend as much time as you think you need at this first spot and then move on when you feel ready. It feels nice to keep your hands connected as much as you can so during transitions either move one hand at a time or slide to the next position. You can decide what spots to include along the way and it might be different every time. It’s great to hit the 7 main chakra points but there are so many other options and all are beneficial. Take 5-10 minutes or 30-45; any amount is perfect. Also, if there is a spot that you can’t comfortably reach you can imagine you are touching that spot. The saying in energy work is “energy flows where attention goes” or “action follows intention” so simply just envisioning the spot you want to give some love to will do.

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http://www.sage-thyme.com/what-are-chakras/

End with gratitude for yourself and all the helpers and teachers in your life (angels, ancestors, guides, animals, etc) and take a few more deep breaths. Bring back the tree root visual or anything else that helps you feel grounded and give yourself time to transition to your next activity. Make sure to have some water and check in with how you are feeling emotionally and physically. Sometimes you will feel refreshed and relaxed but other times this may bring up agitation or irritability. If negative feelings are strong or lasting and/or you are having trouble grounding try to get outside and put your bare feet into the earth. Repeat as often as you like!

Hopelessly Devoted

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The trees are calling me.

“Hey you. Yes you. Come play with us!” And yet some days I resist. Yes, it’s colder up here but I have a new coat and heaps of scarves. I have some of the most amazing trees in my own neighborhood including a pair of really tall beauties right down the block. They have such great energy!

Some days I think I forget that I’m no longer confined to an office under fluorescent lights all day. Like an animal who has been captive for so long, it takes them awhile to adjust to their freedom. I want to be wild again though and that means devotion to the trees. devotion to nature as a temple and devotion to my own health.

I’ll see you outside!

Radiant Beauty

Radiant Beauty