Instant friendships

*MATERNAL MONDAYS*

“During pregnancy your body is your unborn baby’s universe. You are the rivers, sunlight, earth, atmosphere and sky for this being growing within you. Your baby’s body, mind and soul intimately intertwined with your own.Together you express the creative flow of life”.

-Deepak Chopra
Magical Beginnings, Enchanted Lives

Emma the Naturopath xx

-16 weeks, the size of an avocado

I actually caught myself thinking “I’m just too stressed to go to meditation class tonight”… I had to laugh at myself!

Even though I’ve practised yoga since a young age and listen to a meditation track on my iPod every night, I had this preconceived idea of what going to an actual meditation class would be like. I envisioned a bunch of gurus sitting around on cushions on the floor, levitating in silence for an hour. Maybe with a bit of chanting thrown in there...

Much to my delight, it involved sitting back in comfy armchairs, drifting off into a blissful state during a guided meditation. (Yes there were times I was thinking about noodles or tomorrow's clients, but it was mostly bliss). Then we sipped delicious organic tea and Georgie chatted to us about practical tools for helping with a “monkey mind” and incorporating a sense of calmness and positivity into our daily lives.

Meditation has countless benefits to our health like lowering blood pressure and easing anxiety, but it’s also just a beautiful self-care ritual –which is generally the first thing to go out the window when we’re stressed!

Georgie Cooke Quantum LifeSkills Coaching & Counselling is a counsellor, psychotherapist, NLP coach, naturopath and full-time ray of sunshine. Georgie runs meditation classes on Mondays 1-2pm as well as an evening class 6-7pm from her gorgeous space on the jetty strip in Coffs, just next to Old John’s. Give her a call 0406 786 395 if you want to check it out. No levitating gurus, just warmth and happiness.

“Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.”
-Hermann Hesse

109. Top Five Things I LOVED This Week:

1. My 63 year old Sicilian father writing in a text to me “omg”. Wtf…?
2. A delivery of teddy bear sunflowers from the talented girls at Precious Petals. They are just so beautiful and happy (the flowers AND Nat and Court).
3. Stormy headland walks just on dark with friends.
4. Top knots –on chicks, dudes and kids.
5. Lying in bed half asleep on Wednesday morning and feeling a little tickle in my belly. My eyes opened wide and it happened again. “Oh, good morning” I said aloud as I felt my little baby move inside of me for the first time.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS.
“You have within you more love than you could ever understand”
-Rumi

I believe this is quite literal during pregnancy. But generally speaking, we tend to search for love in external places (in people, places, possessions) to feel loved. Knowing that a LIMITLESS source of love resides within ALL of us leaves me feeling so warm and content. What a beautiful thought to start the week with.

*MATERNAL MONDAYS*

I’ve been really touched by the friendships I’ve formed over the past 4 months. You begin forming connections with people you wouldn’t know from a bar of soap based on the fact that you are both pregnant.

Women who have already had a baby are wonderful to talk with as they provide instant relief and valuable knowledge from their experiences, but talking to another chick that’s also pregnant for the first time turns into an instant friendship.

I find such joy when either myself or a friend or customer sneakily mention that they’re pregnant and it is instantly met with squeals of “I’M PREGNANT TOO”!!! Followed by gushings of “Did you get morning sickness?” and salivating while describing how much you’re craving barbeque chips. Other hot topics include asking what size fruit their baby is, how many times they get up to pee each night and how much you’re turning into a sloth and sleeping all day. These conversations go about one hundred miles an hour and can continue until the cows come home.

I’m mindful of not boring my friends with too many pregnancy related tales as hearing them used to make my ears bleed before I was pregnant and I was bewildered how your whole life could be taken over by something like pregnancy and babies… Haha! So other pregnant chicks are the perfect outlet and support! I love hearing stories like “We’ve been friends for 10 years since we met at prenatal yoga”. I look forward to lots of beautiful new friendships that will blossom as our children grow.

Emma the Naturopath xx
(17 weeks –the size of a pear)

*ATTENTION ALL HIPSTERS & FACIAL GROWTH ENTHUSIASTS*

Had a great chat to a gentleman today who purchased almond oil and jojoba oil, as well as cedar wood, bergamot, patchouli and sandalwood essential oil and informed me that this is the ULTIMATE BEARD TONIC. Can’t argue with a man with a beard.

Like my friend Zac says “If your dad doesn’t have a beard, you’ve got two mums”!

110. Top Five Things I LOVED This Week:

1. Sitting in traffic for one hour on Monday morning and absolutely rocking out to Everyday People by Sly and the Family Stone when it came on the radio. The people in the other cars were looking grizzly and my car was practically vibrating from having the tunes up so loud. Go listen to it now, guaranteed instant mood booster!
2. Fresh coconut meat smoothies.
3. Mornings off at home while it absolutely buckets down outside. Snoozing, reading in bed with a chai then having a bath before work. There would be world peace if we all started our days like this.
4. The concerned look I was given by the guy serving me at the bottle shop when I purchased a bottle of brandy for making flower essences.
5. Having the house to myself the last three days =eating all the yummy foods he doesn’t like that I LOVE! Mum’s marinara pizza with extra mushrooms and gluten-free pasta with bacon, broccoli, chili, olive oil and a little cheese. The Sicilian in me comes out!

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. I heard something this week which I LOVED:

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results."
-Albert Einstein

So I approached a few habits and relationships a little differently this week, although my ego and comfort zone tried to seduce me to remain the same.

I found it challenging but refreshing.

*MATERNAL MONDAYS*
~SHOWING~

So here is a 4 month pic of Emma the Naturopath. That's right people... Only 4 months! I was told that I wouldn’t start to “show” until around the 20 week mark. Especially considering it was my first. I was gutted!

However as of week 14 I officially *popped*! Every morning I’d wake up and my muscles felt as though I’d done 1000 sit-ups and my lower abs felt stretched as my tummy moved forward. I began receiving “Nice baby bump!” comments from friends, customers, the lady at the bank and check-out chicks. It was no longer a secret.

I’m so in love with the bump. There is never a moment where it’s not be rubbed by either myself, my husband or a random stranger! It validates why my body has not felt like my own for the last 3-4 months. I caught my reflection in a window yesterday and went “Oh wow, I’m a pregnant lady”. I have felt I’ve also noticed a lot of strangers staring at the bump and then looking up and grinning at me! Haha!

When did you start to show? Are you loving belly rubs off of everyone or do you get a bit freaked out? Do you also stand in front of your wardrobe for 10 mins every morning going "What the hell am I going to wear?!"

"The idea of waiting for something makes it more exciting"
-Andy Warhol

Emma the Naturopath xx

Essential Health

0266 514 533

carrots_and_apples@hotmail.com

Facebook: Emma the Naturopath

Tell me everything...

Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk: (our 99th!!)

1. This week’s ‘Food Safari’ in Japan on SBS. Oh the memories… Kind of makes up for Maeve O'Meara's hectic wardrobe choices.
2. Gorman’s range of watermelon swimwear, vegetable doona covers, broccoli totes and pineapple cushion covers. Makes my little naturopath heart beat faster.
3. Having a “stay-cation” for 5 days just around home.
4. Sitting on the jetty… seeing a few bubbles float to the surface… then a shadow… then a big old sea turtle coming up for air.
5. Going for a walk around the neighbourhood just on dark when you can smell people’s fire places and their hearty dinners bubbling away on the stove. I love the crisp night air!

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. I remember asking a client once if they meditated.
“Yes I walk my dogs in the bush near my house” they replied.
I paused… “But do you MEDITATE?” I asked again.
“Yes” they repeated with a smile. “That is”.

In every consultation I am humbled by what my clients teach me.

I meditated my head off this week. I sat on the end of the jetty and watched the water lap the pylons below. I sat on a little red wooden stool in my garden and weeded in the sun. I slowly stirred my porridge in a clockwise fashion. I laid in the bath and stared at the steam on the mirror.

My mind wasn’t buzzing. It was quiet. It helped me come home to myself.

“You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes a day, unless you’re too busy; then you should sit for an hour”.
-Zen proverb

I've had such a satisfying time in clinic lately. Such wonderful souls have been coming in (or bringing their children in) to learn how to nurture their bodies better. They leave feeling more empowered.

It melts my heart.

I've had an influx on teenage boys as well as pre-diabetic individuals these last few weeks. I love the observing the waves of particular people that all seem to come at the same time.

If you want to come in and chat with me in my little pale blue room, please give the shop a call and we'll work out a time that suits you. I'd love to meet you.

~*OUR 100TH TOP FIVE THINGS I LOVED THIS WEEK:*~!!!

1. Being read to in bed (The Way of the Peaceful Warrior) while sharing a hot water bottle.
2. Broccoli from Dorrigo, coriander from Bonville and wild caught Coffs king prawns. I love the Coffs farmers markets.
3. Those random moments that restore your faith in humanity.I was waiting for my takeaway wrap at a café where a Matt Corby-esque busker was playing nearby. I watched all the people rush by with their busy lives as he started playing a haunting rendition of Jeff Buckley’s Hallelujah. I saw a woman in probably her fifties stop in her tracks and she became fixated on him. As the song progressed she gravitated closer and closer to the busker and by the last verse she was standing directly opposite him, only 2 meters away. When he finished the song she removed her glasses to wipe tears from her eyes, whispered a few words to him while her hand was on her heart and they embraced.
4. Shiitake onigiri from Zen Japan.
5. The instant warmth on my face when the sun popped out of the ocean this morning while I sat on the rock wall doing my meditation.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. Thanks guys for frothing on my weekly stoke with me for the past 100 weeks!! Not a week goes by without someone kindly telling me that they dig the Top 5. I remember being in the shop one day and hearing a woman say to her partner “I just have to tell the lady in here something”. She explained that she was holidaying from Tassie and she found my shop so she could let me know that she always looks forward to the Top 5. Bless.

While I’m getting all emo on you guys, I wanted to mention that in May Essential Health celebrated our 9 year anniversary since opening in 2005!! It was my parent’s baby for four and a half years and then mine for the other four and a half.

High five guys! Let’s continue having an attitude of gratitude and who knows what the future will bring…!

“The things you are passionate about are not random. They are your calling.”
-Fabienne Fredrickson

DRY SKIN and WINTER seem to go hand in hand. Think of your cells as little water balloons. The surface of the balloon (your cell) is made of oil so if we don’t have enough oil from our diet, the water will leak out and the skin becomes dry and scaly. A cell with a decent amount of oil and water will be strong and hydrated. Really aim for those 8 glasses of water a day!

OILY FOODS for silky soft skin!
*Grill a lovely piece of Atlantic salmon or barramundi
*Cook stir-fry’s and curries with extra virgin coconut oil
*Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over salads
*Pop a tablespoon of flaxseed oil into a smoothie
*Add 2 teaspoons of coconut oil to your porridge
*Sprinkle chia seeds over your scrambled eggs
*Spread some avo on your toast then sprinkle with hemp seeds

For an extra boost you can also pop some oil capsules like fish oil, evening primrose, sea buckthorn or vitamin E.

Don’t forget to nourish your skin with products that contain high quality natural ingredients. We just received another shipment of Kora Organics by Miranda Kerr today!! It’s such a stunning brand that I absolutely swear by so please come in and try it for yourself!

I've had alot on my mind lately. Something in particular that was causing me to feel fearful. This morning I reached over and grabbed my yoga affirmation cards that I bought in Hawaii from my bedside table. As I shuffled them, I asked what I should do about this situation.

I pulled out this card:

TRUST

"Trust relieves the worry and clears the path for forward motion. Divine forces are guiding your life. You are well protected".

I thought I'd share that with you in case you too needed a gentle reminder to just let go and have a little faith.

Top Five Things I LOVED This Week:

1. Toasty flanno sheets.
2. Standing on the end of Woolgoolga headland and just feeling so tiny compared to the expansive ocean in front of me.
3. Conversations that start with “Are you Emma the naturopath?” Followed by a sheepish “Oh hi, I’ve been stalking your Essential Health page for ages”. It happens on a weekly basis and always makes me laugh out loud.
4. Sarah’s mandarins, Ainslee’s raw choc mint cheesecake and Anna’s tahini bliss balls. What clever and generous friends I have.
5. Winter indulgences: Leftover chicken and vegie soup for breakfast and spiced g-free carrot muffins hot out of the oven and smothered with salty organic butter for afternoon tea. Recipe coming to you this week.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. “Rest when you’re weary.
Refresh and renew yourself,
your body,
your mind,
your spirit.
Then get back to work.”

-Ralph Marston

I was kindly invited to have a chat with some lovely yogini’s on Saturday about self-nourishment, eating with gratitude and convalescing. Winter is the perfect season to turn inwards and restore our spirit. Embrace this time of year by reading a book in the sunshine, soaking in a candle lit bath and mopping up the last of your soup with some crusty sourdough. Be gentle with yourself.

SPICED CARROT MUFFINS (DAIRY FREE, GLUTEN FREE)

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups gluten-free plain flour (I used the Orgran brand)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 small carrots, grated
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup coconut oil (or olive)
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup honey (or rice malt syrup)
2 eggs

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180ºC. Grease a 12 hole muffin tin.

2. Combine the flour, baking powder, spices, carrots and walnuts in a bowl. Make a well in the centre.

3. Add coconut milk, honey, oil and eggs. Mix until just combined. Spoon mixture evenly into muffin tin.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Adapted from an I Quit Sugar recipe


Emma the Naturopath xx

Essential Health
0266 514 533
Boulevard Arcade (opp. Blush), Coffs Mall

Facebook: Essential Health Coffs

Pie and lattes

Remember everything in moderation... including moderation!

Top 5 Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. A bouquet of home-grown kale and parsley from a gorgeous friend.

2. Taking a pair of scissors on my afternoon walk around the block so I can help out my neighbours by trimming their jasmine for them.

3. The beach this morning: pods of dolphins riding waves, happy dogs bounding around and finding perfect whole cowrie shells.

4. The red, orange, yellow and pink poppies at the roundabout in town. They look like butterflies fluttering in the breeze.

5. The return of that handsome husband of mine who’s been sailing around the ocean in Indonesia for the past 3 weeks. He returned with a few stitches and scratches but wearing a smile and carrying a bottle of French perfume.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. An incredibly special mention to a beautiful Sicilian man, Tony Locandro. 

He took me to his yoga classes with him when I was five.
He gave me my first chai in a tepee at the Body Mind Spirit Festival when I was eight.
He patiently (and sometimes impatiently) taught me to drive a manual car. 
He would “forget” to tell me when boys called.
He bought me my first toolbox and a bag of cable ties for Xmas one year and then proudly explained how to use each device.

He paid for my naturopathy degree because he knew this was how I was meant to spend my life.

He proudly gave me away 18 months ago to my loving husband who promised from the bottom of his heart to be the one to take care of me now. (picture: )

Life doesn’t come with instruction manuals, which is why we have fathers xx

*NEW MEDITATION GROUP IN COFFS*

The lovely Maree Loprete will be running a meditation group the first Monday of every month at 7pm at her house. Cost $15 and all welcome.

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

These are the most deliciously dense little morsels. They only rise a few inches and are really rich and moist so cut them into small squares for the perfect accompaniment to a peppermint tea as an after dinner treat or lunchbox snack!

1 ¼ cups almond meal

¼ cup cacao powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

¼ cup coconut sugar

2 tablespoons coconut oil

¾ cup zucchini, grated (one small-medium zucchini)

1. Throw all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz til smooth.

2. Grease 6.5 x 4 inch loaf pan with coconut oil or line with baking powder.

3. Bake at 180 degrees in a preheated oven for 35-40 minutes.

Dairy free

Wheat and gluten free

Paleo friendly

High protein

Top 5 Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Discovering Tumblr. No seriously, JUST found it.

2. Those yellow papery flowers that grow on headlands. Does anyone know what they’re called?

3. Freshly ground nutmeg in Wednesday night’s gluten-free tuna pasta bake.

4. A guilt free day off after an overbooked day of clinic on Thursday. In a nutshell: yoga, beach swims, chiro, new top, chai with a gf, afternoon nap, baking, date night.

5. Stifling giggles during yoga with my husband as we pulled silly faces at each other. I usually meditate deeper than a Buddhist monk except when he’s in class with me. We are the perfect balance: I keep him safe, he keeps me wild.

Emma the Naturopath xx

“I’ve learnt that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did but people will never forget how you made them feel” –Maya Angelou.

No matter what you do for a living or whose path you cross this week, try to keep this in mind. Spread the love this week by being a little kinder than expected. The simplest gesture can change the course of someone’s whole day.

Here’s the honest truth… 

I cringe a little when people tell me they take a multi. High five for making an effort in the health department but the majority are synthetically produced and have sprinklings of EVERYTHING but NOTHING at the same time if you know what I mean. If they made a multi with the correct therapeutic amounts of vitamins and minerals it would be the size of a GOLF BALL!

Firstly, try and eat a diet full of unprocessed wholefoods: free range chicken, fish, eggs and meats with a variety of fruits, veggies and wholegrains, as well as healthy oils. That goes without say!

If you still need an extra BOOST then look at something like SPIRULINA. Spirulina is an aquatic microalgae that is considered more of a food than a manmade vitamin, therefore it absorbs 16 times more effectively.

I recommend spirulina to customers and clients who feel like they don’t have enough energy and need a bit of a ‘pick me up’. It’s particularly helpful for vego’s and vegans as it contains iron (58 times riches than spinach), protein and B12. Due to its high chlorophyll content, it’s an excellent blood cleanser (detoxifier) for glowing skin. It comes in tablets and powder that you can throw in your morning smoothie.

Have you tried spirulina before? Do you take a multi? What are your thoughts?

CONNECT FIVE

There is a song by Sheryn Binks that is on one of our mixed cds at the shop called Connect Five. Every time I hear the chorus while I’m working I smile to myself. It’s so simple and sweet, like the way love should be.

You would never leave me in the cold
you would never think my jokes are old
you would never give me bad directions
you would vote for me in the elections

You would write about me in your diary
if I was your employee, you wouldn’t fire me
you would put my picture in a frame
you would sit beside me on the train

And if we played connect 4, you would connect 5
and if I let you in you’d
change my whole life

*FREEBIE ALERT* 

You will receive a full sized Kora Organics by Miranda Kerr valued at $37.50 

for any product you purchase from the range!!

Top 5 Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Our undies hanging in a tree to dry after an impromptu river dip.

2. Drinking a giant mug of hot chocolate* while watching a DVD in the bath on my laptop.

3. Being read to by my husband each night. Even if Occy’s biograpghy is not my bedtime story of choice.

4. The moon on Tuesday night. It looked like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland was grinning down at me.

5. The inundation of bubs and kiddies in my clinic the last few weeks! And all their mummies deserve shiny ‘Super Mum’ badges for organising time off work to come in, bravely filling their lunchboxes and dinner plates with new foods and sneaking substances into their smoothies.    

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. “Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside of you that is greater than any obstacle”-Christian D. Larson. Rest assured that you are stronger than you know. Just have faith and patience.

*Hot choc =Pure Harvest ‘Coco Quench’ organic coconut/rice milk heated on the stove with raw cacao powder.

Essential Health

Boulevard Arcade (opp. Blush), Coffs Mall

0266 514 533

Facebook: Essential Health Coffs

Insta: emma_the_naturopath

Unhook your bra.

Big day. Mentally drained. Achy body. Heavy chest.

To be honest, I used to drop my bag, turn on the computer or TV and zone out...

Now I walk through the door. Drop my bag, kick off my shoes and if it’s hot, pull off my dress. Make a mug of soy chai in my favourite red mug and drag a blanket and all the pillows in the house I can find out to the backyard. I then proceed to lie under the bottlebrush tree and either stare up at the sky, flick through a gardening/cooking book or just close my eyes and exhale.

I can smell the herbs from my garden, I can see natural light, I can hear birds, I can feel the breeze on my skin and my mind is empty. The world stops racing and I am mindfully living in the present moment.

This is MY time. I am being true to myself. I can recharge, decompress, regain balance and CONVALESCE! This time allows me to be me again.

How do you spend your quiet time, doing nothing but being YOU? A morning run on the sand, drinking your cup of tea in the sun on your break at work, soaking in a hot bath once the kids are tucked into their beds. Invest in yourself daily and you will reap the rewards xx.

Mind chatter.

Who should I thank in my wedding speech?
Where should I take the girls for our staff Christmas party?
What do I feel like for lunch today?
What clients am I seeing this week?
Should I get those new Lorna Jane tights?
Maybe I’ll book another reflexology treatment this week?

Many thoughts floated through my head this morning as I strolled over the headland listening to my iPod. Then all of a sudden I saw something purple out of the corner of my eye. I meandered off the track, bent down and to my delight I saw my first Fringed Violet flower.

I’d only seen photos in my Australian Bush Flower Essences book and had always secretly hoped to find one. The flowers are only about the size of a five cent piece and the delicate petals are as soft as a feather.

I was mesmerised for a minute or two then sat down on the grass on the edge of the headland and drank in all the beauty of the crashing waves, playful families, the warm sun on my skin and the salty air. This my dear friends, is called being MINDFUL.

When you focus on the present moment that you are currently in, all mind chatter ceases and you can be truly free from your mind.

Don't miss out on all the natural beauty that is right in front of you because your mind is too busy running amuck. Where are you right now? What can you see/feel/hear/taste/smell? Give it a try. You will feel liberated.

Weekend inspiration.

"Through yoga, I became interested in meditation and positive affirmations. Everyday, I tell myself I am a vibrant being of love and light". -Miranda Kerr

I'm currently practising Purna yoga on Tuesday nights with an infectiously uplifting teacher. Purna yoga means "integrated" and "complete" as it holistically combines specific alignments of physical postures, yogic philosophy, pranayama breathing and meditation.

I find Purna yoga, actually yoga in general, brings me immeasurable amounts of joy, makes my heart feel light and I walk out of class with an amazing sense of clarity about my life.

Put your fears and judgements aside and find a class to go to on a regular basis.

Namaste.

Inhale... Exhale... Inhale... Exhale...

I don’t know if you’ve caught wind of this awesome thing that instantly improves your health.

Some of the benefits are that it:

Lowers blood pressure
Reduces stress
Builds self confidence

Stops you snapping at your partner
Helps you sleep like a baby
Will have you bounding with energy
Improves asthma

Helps you chillax

Unleashes creativity
And allows a sense of overall physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.


How much does it cost? Absolutely nothing.

Do you need a prescription? Not at all.

What is the dose? As much as you need.

When can I start it? Right this second.


What is it? MEDITATION!!