So, you’ve just eaten a weeks worth of cheap Valentine’s day chocolate………..how are you feeling? We cannot say it enough – if you are going to eat chocolate, eat the good stuff!! This recipe is so simple and so fast and if you double or even triple the recipe it makes a great birthday cake that is super clean ~ wheat free, dairy free and even low sugar!

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 1½ cups walnuts
• 10 dates, pitted
• ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa
• ½ teaspoon vanilla, optional
• 2 teaspoons water, optional – for moister brownies

Preparation

1. Process walnuts in food processor until finely ground
2. Add dates and process until mixture sticks together.
3. Add cocoa powder and optional vanilla until evenly distributed.
4. Add water and process briefly.
5. Transfer to mixing bowl and mix in 1/4 cup dried cherries (optional) and 1/4 cup chopped walnuts.
6. Press in square container (like a Rubbermaid plastic sandwich container). Chill for at least 2 hours.
7. Top with raspberries or strawberries.
8. Enjoy!

Keeps 1 week in refrigerator and 1 month in the freezer.

“Oh soul,
you worry too much.
You have seen your own strength.
You have seen your own beauty.
You have seen your golden wings.
Of anything less,
why do you worry?
You are in truth the soul, of the soul, of the soul.”

- Rumi, 13^th Century Muslim Poet, Theologian and Sufi Mystic

Learn how to enhance your own sexual energy first by practicing these wonderful acupressure points on yourself – meet the Beloved within! Once mastered by you, you can then share these ancient secrets with a Beloved partner.

Third Eye (Governing Vessel Acupoint 24.5)

Benefits: Enhances your relationship with your Higher Self and that of your partner. Boosts your self-esteem in all relationships.

Location: Directly between the eyebrows, in the indentation where the bridge of the nose meets the forehead. Also known as the Third Eye Chakra, and Governing Vessle Acupoint 24.5.

To activate the Third Eye by yourself: As you can see in the photo, bring your hands together in the prayer position, and allow your fingertips to press gently into your Third Eye. Breathe deeply and slowly into this area to ease the worries of The Mind and focus on thoughts of Positive Love.

With a partner: Lightly touch your partner’s Third Eye acupoint with your middle fingertip; encourage your partner to breathe slowly and deeply into this area. Next kiss this area softly and gently suck the skin of the Third Eye area to heighten all sensations that surface here.

Supporting Nourishment (CV 24)

Benefits: Relaxes the facial muscles and enhances the awareness of your lips and your partner’s. A very erotic point when repeatedly kissed here!

Location: In the indentation midway between the centre of the lower lip and chin. Also known as the Throat Chakra and Conception Vessel 24.

To activate CV 24 by yourself: Use your index fingertip pad; gently massage in a counterclockwise direction to release any tension and Chi stagnation while breathing deeply. Don’t be shy with yourself – add a favorite taste of a sensual food to please!

With a partner: To increase the sensual energetic ‘jolt’ along this meridian begin with gently kissing this acupoint, then move into sucking the skin here. Even with your clothes on activation of Chi flow in this way is immensely erotic for you and partner. The intensity of your suction can communicate, without any words, how much you desire your Beloved.

Sea of Tranquility (CV 17) (see diagram above)

Benefits: Gently holding and caressing this acupoint opens the heart’s physical chamber within and its Energy Centre (Chakra), too.  Balance your own and partner’s emotional health, and increase emotional intimacy.

Location: On the centre of the breastbone (4 finger widths up from the base of the bone), just above the nipple level. Also known as the Heart Chakra.

To activate CV 17 by yourself: Press your index and middle fingertip gently on this acupoint, massaging counterclockwise to release any stagnation within this meridian. Keep breathing slowly and deeply into your chest area; if you use both hands over your chest/breasts, you will be touching your nipples with love and care.

With a partner: Taking turns of being on top allows each partner to kiss and gently suck the skin on this acupoint. Snuggling together, breastbone to breastbone, also powerfully enhances the energetic blending of these powerful heart connection acupoints.

Rushing Door (Spleen 12) and Mansion Cottage (Spleen 13)

Benefits: To increase a woman’s sexual desire and libido; Assists the man in healing sexual impotence; Increases Chi, Lymph and Blood flow back to the pelvic region of the body after emotional, mental and physical trauma.

Location: In the pelvic area, in the middle of the crease where the leg joins the trunk of the body. Also known as the Root Chakra.

To activate by yourself: While lying on your back, gently place the palm of your hands, with fingers pointing on an angle down, on the groin crease where your thighs join the trunk of your body. Inhale/exhale deeply and slowly imagining the colour Red bathing and healing this entire region of your body.

With a partner: Repeat what you would do for yourself, with your partner, except you are there to guide them into breathing deeply and slowly, then imagining the colour Red bathing them gently in a healing way. Of course when your hands are placed on your partner’s pelvic area with love and sensual thoughts, all erotic and physical sensations increase.

The bonus of gently taking your time here with these acupoints is assisting the release of built up emotional frustrations from your partner. If we are experiencing pelvic pain and/or discomfort, it may have originated from one of these situations:

• Ongoing resentment in your intimate relationship,
• A work situation in which you deal with frustration and disappointment regularly,
• Living with a sense of dread because of a general psychological tendency to jump to catastrophic conclusions.

For more info: Tantra for Awakening

Further Reading:

Acupressure for Lovers by Michael Reed Gach

The Art of Sexual Ecstasy by Margot Anand

Even if Valentine’s Day wasn’t your cuppa tea – I mean, I’m not a real pink-hearts-and-chocolates kind of girl, either – it can be a good reminder to infuse your life with a little cheeky fun…

Particularly if you spend a lot of time sitting in a desk chair, spurring yourself to get moving is a great way to remind yourself and your body that you are vibrant and alive!

The intention is what will matter here – I suggest that your mindset be on celebrating how fun and how great it feels to get moving.  Take some friends along or go it alone.  Either way, it’s almost spring – time to get a head start!

Here’s five moves for lovers of life:

1) Dance, dude!  Even if it’s a one minute groove in your kitchen or at your desk – have a good laugh, put on an old favourite tune and get a solid groove on!  And then bask in the fun of that funky part of your soul (…ahem, however deep seated it is…).

2) Stretch……  mmmmm… have a big ol’ stretch, arms in the air, standing or seated, and feel the stretch flow out to your fingertips.  It feels good, and will be even better when you focus your mind on just how darn good it is!

3)  Walk! Get up, put your shoes (and boots/mitts/toque/coat/scarf/extra sweater/etc, if you’re Canadian), and get outside.  Even a jaunt around the block will remind you how great it feels to move.

4) Drop-in at a group fitness class or one of your favourite yoga sessions – Get your heart pumping and thank yourself for it!

5) Get out in nature.  Whether it’s that park near your house, one of the city’s big parks, a river walk, or getting way out to provincial or national park or your own favourite space, choose a sunny day when you can plan to get away for a time and appreciate the natural setting.  Look at the trees, grass, leaves, each of them preparing for spring.  How lucky we are for these seasons!

These are just suggestions.  Think about it… what’s your favourite way to get moving?  If your mind tends to wander away from enjoying the activity, gently bring it back.

Undoubtedly, almost all of us have taken on new eating habits at some time or another.  Sound familiar?  The big promises cut down on junk food, veto sugar, potato chips, soft drinks, beer, wine, cheese… sigh, the list goes on.  Particularly around the New Year, we tend to take on big dietary changes in hopes of increasing health, managing weight, reducing stress, or having more energy.

Now, to be clear, these are often great changes!  Of course it’s good to take a look at all the excess bits and bites that filter into our day-to-day food, and make some changes towards more nourishing choices.  But, I’m also quite aware that as the days and weeks pass by, it becomes more difficult to maintain them if we are too strict.

Making a Shift to the 90:10 Mindset

100% Clean Eating is almost certainly a recipe for “failure” and frustration.  Truthfully, no one wants to be that strict – it’s no fun at all, and not even very good for us!  Being ultra strict can zap the life and enjoyment out of eating delicious food, and add undue stress or feelings of guilt.

To combat this and gain positivity, consider your eating habits as 90:10 – 90% clean, delicious and healthy, and 10% bonus, guilt-free extras.  This will help you fully enjoy all the good, healthy changes and will certainly lead to good, balanced and improved health!

90% Clean Eating – Remember, healthy food choices can be absolutely delicious, so focus on making the most of it!  Try new recipes and ingredients, good quality produce, or increased home-cooking.  Meat-eaters may want to try a few more vegetarian meals, or choose higher quality, local meat that was raised humanely.  This 90% forms the building blocks of feeling great, so make it good!  …and thank yourself for it.

10% Bonus – This creates room for you to respond to cravings and not feel completely deprived of certain foods that you desire (deprivation will lead to binges).  If you find yourself craving a certain food, consider why that might be happening, and try to build it – or a better version of it – into your occasional treats.

• Tip for the 10%:  Make it high quality, consider the portion size, and take the time to enjoy it.

What does 90:10 look like?

What it looks like depends on what suits each person.  Experiment with what kind of treats are most satisfying to you and in what quantity.  Keeping in mind that we tend to eat 3-5 meals or snacks per day, does your 10% look like any of the following?

• One treat every 2-3 days
• A glass of wine on Friday night
• A small piece of chocolate every evening
• Dessert on Sunday
• One chocolate chip every hour (This is a real life example of someone we know!)
• 2-4 treats per week
• French fries 1-2 times per month

Remember to consider the quality and quantity of the treats that you choose.  Make it good, and surround it with clean and nourishing foods.

This chili is so easy and tastes great, too.  Double the batch to make sure you have plenty of leftovers!

2 tbsp.             Extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves          Garlic, minced

1 medium       Onion, chopped

2                     Carrots, sliced

6                     Mushrooms, sliced

1                     Red bell pepper, chopped

1                     Green pepper, chopped

1 can               Diced tomatoes (28oz/796ml)

3 cups              Black beans or 2 cans (19oz/540ml), drained and rinsed

1                      Jalapeno pepper, minced

1 tbsp.             Chilli powder

1 tsp.               Ground cumin

1 tsp.               Dried oregano

1 tsp.               Salt

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat and sauté garlic, onion, carrot, mushrooms and peppers for approximately 5 minutes.

• Stir in tomatoes, beans and jalapeno peppers. Simmer, uncovered, for approximately 20 minutes.
• Add chilli, ground cumin, dried oregano and salt and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Serve over a bowl of brown rice or with whole grain bread.

Before beginning any herbal remedies, check with your naturopathic physician or herbal pharmacy professional for any contraindications with other medications that you are using.

Some benefits of Stinging Nettle (Uritca dioica)

• Diuretic – Nettle Leaf used as a daily infused tea is a gentle but effective diuretic
• Nettle Root has been found to increase a protein in the blood to which hormones bind thus reducing levels of ‘unbound’ hormones
• Nettle Root tincture benefits those with weakened bladders from chronic Cystitis – bladder infections
• Improves Kidney function and clears toxins from the blood
• Can ease dry and itching skin
• Cardiovascular health – has be known to assist in lowering blood pressure
• Eases the pain and swelling of hemorrhoids

For more information, visit http://www.allnatural.net/herbpages/stinging-nettle.shtml

If you experience lack of balance, sciatica, lower lumbar pain, stiffness in the hips, neuralgia, calf muscle spasms, pain and stiffness in the knees, ankle or foot – Traditional Chinese Medicine suggests that it could be due to a blockage in the flow of energy (Chi or Qi) in your Urinary Bladder (UB) Meridian.

Upper Body and Head Conditions.  Particularly in Winter, a blockage in this Meridian may have you feeling lung & sinus congestion, eyebrow and top of head pains, dry eyes and overall emotional and mental fatigue.  In Traditional Chinese Medicine, this meridian is associated with the autonomic nervous system.

The UB Meridian is the partner Water Element and Winter organ to your Kidney Meridian (see Part I in December’s blog).  Besides numerous physical aliments, mental strain is also seen as being linked to blocked energy along the UB meridian because it begins in the head and face areas.  This is the body’s longest meridian with 67 acupoints in total from the head to the baby toe!

SELF-CARE TIPS

Since some of the UB acupoints below are located on the back, you will need to learn and practice with a partner.

This excellent acupoint helps relieve bladder infection (cystitis), intestinal cramps with flu and low back discomfort, especially sciatica.

Bladder 60: Locate this point on the outside of the ankle (baby toe side), halfway between the outside anklebone and the Achilles tendon. Caution – do not use Bladder 60 during pregnancy.

This website demonstrates a variety of great acupressure points for colds and flus, including:

(please link to the website for pictures to help locate the acupoints below)

To Relieve Colds, Sinus Congestion, Frontal Headaches & Tired Eyes – Bladder 2 (Drilling Bamboo) Location: On the face, in the indentations of the eye sockets. On either side of where the bridge of the nose meets the ridge of the eyebrows.

To Strengthen the Immune System, Alleviate Low Back Pain & Overall Fatigue – Bladder 23 (Sea of Vitality)  Location: These acupoints are found on the back, 2 finger widths in distance from the spine, both sides and level with the 2^nd and 3^rd lumbar vertebrae. To locate them easily, start at the 5^th lumbar at the base of the spine and count up to the 2^nd and 3^rd vertebrae. Benefits: strengthening the Immune System, alleviating low back pain and overall fatigue, fortifying the digestive system.

To Relieve Coughing, Breathing Difficulties, and Respiratory Problems – Bladder 38 (Vital Diaphram) Location: On the back, between the shoulder blade and the spine at the level of the heart.

Sheela Szymkowiak – Certified Reflexologist, Reiki practitioner, holistic health educator and experienced mom! – will teach you hands-on, simple reflexology techniques to sooth your baby.

Great for: teething troubles, colic, digestive problems, sleepy feeders, cradle cap and allergies, following traumatic births, improving quality of sleep (for babies AND parents!), and more!

Babies are very responsive to these techniques!

$75 for 75min of private instruction!

Have questions or would like to book a session?  Call or email us today!

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the focus for Winter is on the Kidney and Bladder, which are both of the Water Element. This month, we’ll tell you how to boost your Kidney energy.  (Keep posted: in January, we’ll focus on Bladder Meridian health).

The Kidneys control the growth and development of bones and nourish the marrow, which is the body’s source of red and white blood cells. Weak kidney energy is therefore a prime cause of anemia and immune deficiency.

TCM doctors view the spinal cord and the brain as forms of marrow, and therefore poor memory, inability to think clearly, and backache are all regarded as indicators of impaired kidney function and deficient kidney energy.

The Kidney’s positive emotional attributes are wisdom, rationality, clear perception, gentleness, and self-understanding. The negative attributes are fear, loneliness, insecurity and shock.

Kidney Acupressure Point (Caution: do not use if pregnant or with low blood pressure)

Locate Kidney 1 in the crease of the ball of the foot, where the colour changes from the ball to the sole. Massage slowly with your thumb or have a partner tonify (rest gently on acupoint with gentle pressure) this point with their elbow. Dispersing stagnated kidney flow can assist all the other meridian flows in the body to balance as well. (Caution: do not use Kidney 1 if pregnant or have low blood pressure)

Best foods to boost your Kidney energy

Vegetables and fruits - Dark, leafy green vegetables are the best choice. Other Kidney Qi boosting veggies include asparagus, cucumbers and celery. Include these fruits: blueberries, blackberries, mulberry, etc. – all being dark blue or black hues, the colour of the Water Element.

Black beans and kidney beans are excellent examples of kidney shaped foods that nourish and benefit Kidney energy (Qi).

Seeds and nuts – Flax, pumpkin, sunflower, black sesame seeds, walnuts and chestnuts

Suggested websites:   http://www.naturalnews.com/027908_Chinese_Medicine_kidneys.html

http://www.yinyanghouse.com/acupuncturepoints/kidney_meridian_graphic

This is a soup that you won’t want to stop eating. If you don’t have sweet potatoes, try butternut squash.

1 Tbsp.            Extra virgin olive oil
1 medium        Onion, chopped
2 Tbsp.            Gingerroot, chopped fine
1 tsp.               Mild or medium curry powder
6 cups              Sweet potatoes, peeled, diced
2                      Apples, peeled, cored and diced
5 cups              Chicken or vegetable stock
1 can               Coconut milk
¼ tsp.              Each salt and pepper
l Tbsp.             Lime juice
2 Tbsp.            Fresh cilantro, green onion or parsley, chopped

In large saucepan, heat oil over low heat; cook onions and ginger until tender, about 4 minutes. Add curry powder; cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

• Add sweet potatoes, apples and stock; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat and cook gently until vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Add coconut milk; cook for 5 minutes.
• In batches, transfer to blender or food processor. Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, stir in lime juice; garnish with coriander.

Makes 5 to 10 servings.