My dad's copy of The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle has been sitting on my bookshelf for many years now. I love that he's highlighted and underlined paragraphs and written little notes in the margins (just like I do). But I. just. can't. bloody. read. it!
However I read this quote the other week and it really hit home for me.
"If you are depressed,
you are living in the past.
If you are anxious,
If you are anxious,
you are living in the future.
If you are at peace,
If you are at peace,
you are living in the present."
-Lao Tzu
There is a lot going on in my world right now so I have been implementing this quote in my everyday life as a reminder to just put one foot in front of the other, rather than getting overwhelmed by the entire journey. I am reveling in the simplicity of it.
So each day (depending on the date) I say: All that exists right now is Wednesday the 26th of March. Then tomorrow will be Thursday the 27th of March, but all that matters right now is that it’s Wednesday the 26th of March. All I have control over is what happens today.
How do you go at living in the present moment?
How does that quote sit with you?
“Life is available only in the present moment”.
-Thich Nhat Hahn, Vietnamese Zen Monk
Every Thursday night I write an *EMMA THE NATUROPATH’S WEEKLY TIP* Facebook post for the kind folk at Coffs for Kids who are a huge support to families in the Coffs community. This week I posted a recipe for a yummy after school smoothie!
Choc peanut butter thickshake
Throw in a blender:
1 frozen banana
1 Tbsp 100% peanut butter
1 Tbsp raw cacao powder
1 Tbsp vanilla pea protein powder
¼ cup rolled oats (or 1 Tbsp LSA if avoiding gluten)
1 Tbsp flaxseed oil
1 handful of baby spinach
Milk of your choice
I LOVE smoothies for kiddies! You can sneak so much goodness in without them even knowing! The flaxseed oil and baby spinach totally disappear once blended and the raw cacao powder is packed with magnesium while satisfying their sweet tooth. Also healthy enough for brekkie!
Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk:
1. Another flash back of one of my fave long lost songs: So Fresh, So Clean by Outkast.
2. The fact that my husband gave his mum a card and present on his 30th birthday this week.
3. My incredible alkalising green juice that I make each morning (which I look forward to as I go to sleep each night)! Green apple, mint, lime, celery and cucumber. I ran out of lime during the week so I juiced lemon myrtle leaves from my tree.
4. A good cry. Followed by a long hot shower, pyjamas and an eleven hour sleep.
5. Listening to frogs singing power ballads outside while I had a candle lit bath during Earth Hour last night.
Emma the Naturopath xx
PS. When I first read this poem earlier on in the week it had such a profound effect on me. And every time I have read it since, it sends little shivers down my spine and makes my heart flutter. I hope it resonates on some level with you too.
“She let go. Without a thought or a word, she let go.
She let go of the fear. She let go of the judgments. She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head. She let go of the committee of indecision within her. She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons. Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go.
She didn’t ask anyone for advice. She didn’t read a book on how to let go. She didn’t search the scriptures. She just let go. She let go of all of the memories that held her back. She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward. She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right.
She didn’t promise to let go. She didn’t journal about it. She didn’t write the projected date in her Day-Timer. She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper. She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope. She just let go.
She didn’t analyse whether she should let go. She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter. She didn’t do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment. She didn’t call the prayer line. She didn’t utter one word. She just let go.
No one was around when it happened. There was no applause or congratulations. No one thanked her or praised her. No one noticed a thing. Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go.
There was no effort. There was no struggle. It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad. It was what it was, and it is just that.
In the space of letting go, she let it all be. A small smile came over her face. A light breeze blew through her. And the sun and the moon shone forevermore”.
-Rev. Saphire Rose/Ernest Holmes
This morning's GREEN JUICE:
1 granny smith apple
1 celery stalk
1 cucumber
1/2 a lime
handful of parsley
2 handfuls green grapes
leftover iceberg lettuce from the delicious san choy bow my husband made last night!
What was in YOUR juice or smoothie this morning?
BROCCOLI AND FETA FRITTERS (gluten-free)
I made these little pups last night for the first time and they're all I've thought about all day!!
Ingredients (makes 8-10 fritters)
1 medium sized broccoli
4 eggs, free range and organic
½ bunch shallots, chopped
1 large handful of basil leaves (or parsley), chopped
1 cup gluten free flour (or buckwheat or brown rice flour, or spelt if not gluten free)
1 tsp baking powder
80 grams of feta cheese (or parmesan or haloumi)
1 lemon
Pink Himalayan salt and cracked pepper
Olive oil
Method
1. Chop up the broccoli finely and steam for 5 minutes.
2. Beat the eggs in a bowl and add the flour, shallots, salt and pepper and basil.
3. Crumble feta and place into the mixture.
4. Roughly chop broccoli and add to the mixture.
5. Add extra flour to the mixture if it is too wet.
6. Heat a large frying pan over moderate heat and add oil.
7. Ladle amounts of mixture into the frying pan and cook the fritters for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden.
8. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice with a fresh garden salad!
Recipe adapted fromhttp://juliaandlibby.com/2014/01/06/broccoli-feta-and-pine-nut-fritters/
There are a lot of aspects to being healthy. It’s all about BALANCE.
There tends to be a general understanding that “being healthy” means eating your fruit and vegies, doing some exercise and taking a multivitamin. Sure these things contribute to a wholesome lifestyle but as a naturopath I assess optimal wellbeing on a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual level.
I drew a WELLBEING WHEEL on our shop wall yesterday. It’s a handy way of visualising all aspects of your health holistically. It’s easy to get out of balance and neglect an area of your health.
For example, someone might be sweating it out at cross fit (exercise) and eating nutritious foods (diet and nutrition) but not spending enough down time walking on the beach (rest and relaxation). Or perhaps we become so busy running around looking after the kids and working full time (intellect) that our love for playing the guitar gets pushed to the side (self-expression) and we are too exhausted to catch up with friends on the weekend (social interaction).
So here are a few questions you can ask yourself to better understand yourself HOLISTICALLY…
Social interaction: When was the last time you called a friend who has a similar sense of humour and had a good belly laugh?
Self-expression: What is your creative outlet?
Intellectual conversation: What interesting piece of information have you learnt recently?
Spiritual connection: When was the last time you prayed/meditated/took a few moments to reflect?
Exercise: How often do you get huffy and puffy?
Diet and nutrition: Do you go to the farmers markets and try fruit and vegies that you haven’t eaten before?
Rest and relaxation: How do you give back to yourself?
Don’t stress yourself out striving for perfection by trying to keep all the balls in the air. Adopt an EFFORT WITH GRACE approach and just check in with yourself every once in a while to make sure you’re feeling balanced.
What area do you feel you could improve on at this current moment? I'm working on exercise at the moment and am off to a 'Groove Restore' hot yoga class tonight!
-Lao Tzu
There is a lot going on in my world right now so I have been implementing this quote in my everyday life as a reminder to just put one foot in front of the other, rather than getting overwhelmed by the entire journey. I am reveling in the simplicity of it.
So each day (depending on the date) I say: All that exists right now is Wednesday the 26th of March. Then tomorrow will be Thursday the 27th of March, but all that matters right now is that it’s Wednesday the 26th of March. All I have control over is what happens today.
How do you go at living in the present moment?
How does that quote sit with you?
“Life is available only in the present moment”.
-Thich Nhat Hahn, Vietnamese Zen Monk
Every Thursday night I write an *EMMA THE NATUROPATH’S WEEKLY TIP* Facebook post for the kind folk at Coffs for Kids who are a huge support to families in the Coffs community. This week I posted a recipe for a yummy after school smoothie!
Choc peanut butter thickshake
Throw in a blender:
1 frozen banana
1 Tbsp 100% peanut butter
1 Tbsp raw cacao powder
1 Tbsp vanilla pea protein powder
¼ cup rolled oats (or 1 Tbsp LSA if avoiding gluten)
1 Tbsp flaxseed oil
1 handful of baby spinach
Milk of your choice
I LOVE smoothies for kiddies! You can sneak so much goodness in without them even knowing! The flaxseed oil and baby spinach totally disappear once blended and the raw cacao powder is packed with magnesium while satisfying their sweet tooth. Also healthy enough for brekkie!
Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk:
1. Another flash back of one of my fave long lost songs: So Fresh, So Clean by Outkast.
2. The fact that my husband gave his mum a card and present on his 30th birthday this week.
3. My incredible alkalising green juice that I make each morning (which I look forward to as I go to sleep each night)! Green apple, mint, lime, celery and cucumber. I ran out of lime during the week so I juiced lemon myrtle leaves from my tree.
4. A good cry. Followed by a long hot shower, pyjamas and an eleven hour sleep.
5. Listening to frogs singing power ballads outside while I had a candle lit bath during Earth Hour last night.
Emma the Naturopath xx
PS. When I first read this poem earlier on in the week it had such a profound effect on me. And every time I have read it since, it sends little shivers down my spine and makes my heart flutter. I hope it resonates on some level with you too.
“She let go. Without a thought or a word, she let go.
She let go of the fear. She let go of the judgments. She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head. She let go of the committee of indecision within her. She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons. Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go.
She didn’t ask anyone for advice. She didn’t read a book on how to let go. She didn’t search the scriptures. She just let go. She let go of all of the memories that held her back. She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward. She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right.
She didn’t promise to let go. She didn’t journal about it. She didn’t write the projected date in her Day-Timer. She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper. She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope. She just let go.
She didn’t analyse whether she should let go. She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter. She didn’t do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment. She didn’t call the prayer line. She didn’t utter one word. She just let go.
No one was around when it happened. There was no applause or congratulations. No one thanked her or praised her. No one noticed a thing. Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go.
There was no effort. There was no struggle. It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad. It was what it was, and it is just that.
In the space of letting go, she let it all be. A small smile came over her face. A light breeze blew through her. And the sun and the moon shone forevermore”.
-Rev. Saphire Rose/Ernest Holmes
This morning's GREEN JUICE:
1 granny smith apple
1 celery stalk
1 cucumber
1/2 a lime
handful of parsley
2 handfuls green grapes
leftover iceberg lettuce from the delicious san choy bow my husband made last night!
What was in YOUR juice or smoothie this morning?
BROCCOLI AND FETA FRITTERS (gluten-free)
I made these little pups last night for the first time and they're all I've thought about all day!!
Ingredients (makes 8-10 fritters)
1 medium sized broccoli
4 eggs, free range and organic
½ bunch shallots, chopped
1 large handful of basil leaves (or parsley), chopped
1 cup gluten free flour (or buckwheat or brown rice flour, or spelt if not gluten free)
1 tsp baking powder
80 grams of feta cheese (or parmesan or haloumi)
1 lemon
Pink Himalayan salt and cracked pepper
Olive oil
Method
1. Chop up the broccoli finely and steam for 5 minutes.
2. Beat the eggs in a bowl and add the flour, shallots, salt and pepper and basil.
3. Crumble feta and place into the mixture.
4. Roughly chop broccoli and add to the mixture.
5. Add extra flour to the mixture if it is too wet.
6. Heat a large frying pan over moderate heat and add oil.
7. Ladle amounts of mixture into the frying pan and cook the fritters for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden.
8. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice with a fresh garden salad!
Recipe adapted fromhttp://juliaandlibby.com/2014/01/06/broccoli-feta-and-pine-nut-fritters/
There are a lot of aspects to being healthy. It’s all about BALANCE.
There tends to be a general understanding that “being healthy” means eating your fruit and vegies, doing some exercise and taking a multivitamin. Sure these things contribute to a wholesome lifestyle but as a naturopath I assess optimal wellbeing on a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual level.
I drew a WELLBEING WHEEL on our shop wall yesterday. It’s a handy way of visualising all aspects of your health holistically. It’s easy to get out of balance and neglect an area of your health.
For example, someone might be sweating it out at cross fit (exercise) and eating nutritious foods (diet and nutrition) but not spending enough down time walking on the beach (rest and relaxation). Or perhaps we become so busy running around looking after the kids and working full time (intellect) that our love for playing the guitar gets pushed to the side (self-expression) and we are too exhausted to catch up with friends on the weekend (social interaction).
So here are a few questions you can ask yourself to better understand yourself HOLISTICALLY…
Social interaction: When was the last time you called a friend who has a similar sense of humour and had a good belly laugh?
Self-expression: What is your creative outlet?
Intellectual conversation: What interesting piece of information have you learnt recently?
Spiritual connection: When was the last time you prayed/meditated/took a few moments to reflect?
Exercise: How often do you get huffy and puffy?
Diet and nutrition: Do you go to the farmers markets and try fruit and vegies that you haven’t eaten before?
Rest and relaxation: How do you give back to yourself?
Don’t stress yourself out striving for perfection by trying to keep all the balls in the air. Adopt an EFFORT WITH GRACE approach and just check in with yourself every once in a while to make sure you’re feeling balanced.
What area do you feel you could improve on at this current moment? I'm working on exercise at the moment and am off to a 'Groove Restore' hot yoga class tonight!
Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk: (our 90th! Oh my!!)
1. Realising that the Matron on Love Child is actually Rhonda (Ketut’s lover) from the AAMI ads!! Shut up!
2. A caring friend who recommended I go and get a facial after all that's been going on lately. And the wonderful Trista who gives the most delicious treatments!!
3. The balmy ocean breeze on Tuesday night as I walked to my car after the sweatiest hot yoga class. My two loves: yoga + sauna =happiness.
4. Going for a bike ride early this morning in the drizzly weather. No one else was around… Were you all at church or in bed eating hot cross buns perhaps?
5. Waking up in the middle of the night to find my husband and I holding hands in our sleep.
Emma the Naturopath xx
PS. I found another beautiful quote this week which speaks magnitudes to me. Live loudly everyone!!
“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it.
And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of.
If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.”
-F. Scott Fitzgerald/Eric Roth
The change of seasons has set in and it has brought with it an influx of colds and flu into Essential Health!
We are all out of muddy puppies this week... But come have a chat to Vanessa or myself about diet, lifestyle and supplements that will give your immune system a fighting chance this winter!
Emma the Naturopath xx
Essential Health
0266 514 533
Boulevard Arcade (opp. Blush), Coffs Mall
Facebook: Essential Health Coffs
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