Purge to Feel Brand Spanking New

Sometimes in life we can feel bogged down. Not sure of what our next step should be, we wander around, feeling a little lost, losing our passion moment by moment. This happened to me recently - so what did I do? PURGED! It was awesome - I got sick, spontaneously cut my hair, got rid of clothes, organized, swept, and saged.

If you're feeling the need to let go of some dead weight like I was, this vlog is for you. (Plus you get to meet my cat, Ginger Beans)

Dairy Free Survival Guide - When Dairy Stops Loving You Back

I was recently talking to a friend who had just discovered a dairy intolerance, and she was lamenting how much the revelation was affecting her. “How do I live without dairy”, she asked, “It’s just so good!” I told her once she committed to it, it would be easy - understandable her next question was - “But what about CHEESE?!”

Granted, cheese is a tough one to reproduce vegan style, but there are ways. I’ve been living mostly dairy free for years now, because, frankly, it makes me feel like shit. And it’s really awesome NOT to feel like shit, and that’s why, my friends, it’s really awesome to live without dairy.

Almonds make a super tasty milk alternative.
Photo from Jules | Flickr

Here’s my survival guide for those of you who suspect that dairy is no longer returning your longtime love.

1. Coconut milk 

Godsend. Seriously. Coconut milk is creamy, delicious, and much tastier than regular old milk. It’s especially good for coffee and tea, as almond and rice milk are usually much too watery to convert your morning beverage into a creamy treat. Just make sure you don’t overdo it - a few tablespoons a day is plenty.

2. Almond (Cashew, Sunflower Seed, Pumpkin Seed, Hemp, etc.) Milk 

Almond milk was my go to for a while, and I still love it, though I prefer the homemade kind the best now. Even though the storebought brands are much better for you than milk, they’ve still been processed in order to sit on a shelf for long periods of time. Try making your own nut milk - it’s super easy. Soak raw almonds overnight. Then add them to 3-4 cups of water. Blend the two ingredients together, and sift it through a strainer or cheesecloth. Add a dash of salt, some vanilla, cinnamon, and maybe even maple syrup to the final product and you’ve got the most delicious milk of all time. See the links above for more recipes.

3. Nutritional Yeast

Ah yes, nutritional yeast, my love. Nutritional yeast is one of your new replacements for cheeses. You can throw it on pizza, popcorn, toast, wraps, even on salad, and it adds a unique flavor that somewhat mimics what you may love about cheese. It’s also good for you, which is a major plus. Find it at most natural food stores.

4. Avocado

Of course, avocado. It’s fatty (in the good way), flavourful, and delicious on pretty much everything. Salads, wraps, toast, pizza, rice, pasta, sandwiches, the list goes on. Add a dash of sea salt to bring out it's ultimate flavour.

5. When You Just Gotta Have Some Cheese

All right, I get it, cheese is unbelievably delicous. It just is. Sometimes you may crave it just a little bit too much to grab that avocado, and thats ok! In times like these, opt for goat cheese, or feta, and make absolute sure it’s organic. Factory farmed cows produce non-organic cheese, and the energy of that product will throw your system way out of whack. Organic goat cheese and feta are much easier for your body to process than the regular stuff, so if you end up having a bite every week or two, it’s not the end of the world. Just make sure to observe how you feel afterwards.

www.wavesoffire.ca

A Meditation For Intense Emotion - When Tears Are Necessary

The next time something or someone triggers a deep emotion within you, whenever you can, find a place you can be alone in.

As you breathe deeply, experience the feelings that this situation or person has brought up for you. Know that this pain is not a product of an external situation, but rather a deeply buried collection of memories that has been triggered by outside circumstances. 

As you shift your focus from perceiving this outside circumstance as the source of your pain, drop the visions of it. 

Let go of the need to constantly relate this pain to that outside person or situation, and instead go inward. 

Focus on the pure feelings of the moment, and nothing else. What do they feel like? Where are they in your body?

Breathe into them. 

As you do this, let the feelings pour out of you in the form of tears, sobs, screams, or punches to the pillow - whatever - just let it out!  

When the intensity of the emotions begins to subside, say to yourself, lovingly: “I acknowledge what once was, and send it into the light now. I love and accept myself completely, and release these feelings into the infinite loving universe, trusting that that are now healed in the love and light of the divine’s truth.” Say this as many times as you need to. 

www.wavesoffire.ca 

Meditation Is My Lover

I hear a lot about meditation as a path to inner peace, and I totally agree that one benefit of sitting in stillness is a zenned out mind.

But meditation is WAY more exciting than that - meditation is a way to access our perfect lives - lives of fun, inspiration, purpose, beautiful relationships and MORE!

How? Watch my latest vlog "Why Mediation is So Awesome" - and visit me at www.wavesoffire.ca for private meditation coaching that will speak to the deepest levels of your being!