When Family Comes to Town

Look at the love!  This photo was taken by my cousin, Cammie Wheeler, a few weeks ago.  She and my aunt Deb traveled to Oregon from California to simply hang out and celebrate life.  This is a quick snap shot of my aunt Deb and my grandfather, King Richard.   This photo tells so many stories about my life.  It's about family, love and connection.   One of the most important factors in living a healthy life is healthy relationships, and it starts with our immediate circles of connection. 

I had so much fun connecting with my visiting family.  We cooked beautiful meals together and talked about the importance of proper nutrition and caring for our bodies.  Aunt Deb took advantage of the tax free shopping in Oregon, and she packed home a new Breville juicer!  We swapped juice recipe ideas and contemplated the bodies ability to heal, detoxify, and rejuvenate.  We spoke about the commitment it takes to live a healthy lifestyle but how wonderful the rewards manifest in body, mind, and spirit.  My aunt Deb has been hitting the gym regularly and working towards eating even more yummy fresh and vital food.  She is amazing!  She is vibrant, and you can truly feel the love emanating from her.  It's pretty easy to be her niece. 

My cousin Cammie is another family rockstar.  Her deep heart and ability to truly speak from a place of meaning and compassion always amazes me.  It's pretty easy to be her cousin.  As many of you know who have been following the blog, I've really been cranking up the yoga practice.  Of course, Cammie in her engagement with me asks about my practice.  The way she genuinely asked the question allowed me in that moment to feel my deep gratitude for my yoga practice.   Her question also allowed me to feel supported by those that I love and feel close with.  In order to make real change take place we need the love and support of our family and friends.  We need people cheering us on!  Who are the people in your life asking the questions about how you feel, what your passion is, how life is inspiring or challenging you?  It all comes back to our relationships.  When I'm with Cammie, she reflects back to me the importance of listening deeply to those we love and truly caring about whats important to them!  It may seem simple, but it's about being PRESENT with each other. 

For me, family is really important.  I feel so BLESSED to live close to family members that I feel connection and depth with.  My grandfather, King Richard, lives about 6 miles away from me with another one of my fabulous aunts, Donna.  He is one of the funniest people I know.  I've started giving him vitamin B12 injections to try and boost his energy, he's 87 and wants to be a young 70.  He's not very open to the idea of vegetables.  He prefers donuts.  However, recently he did slug down some fresh pressed juice of cabbage, celery, carrot, lemon, and apple.  He was one of my biggest supporters as I went through Chinese Medicine/Acupuncture school.  He loves getting acupuncture treatments, and he thinks its the smartest job in the world.  "All you have to do is put needles in people," he asks?  I cherish the moments I'm able to spend with him.  He has taught me about the power of simply reaching out and taking someone's hand, holding it softly and looking into their eyes.  Yes, he has a heart of gold, and there is nothing quite like your grandpa reaching out and taking your hand.  It's easy to be his granddaughter.

I just want to honor the family I come from and give thanks for our collective heart of love and support.  I couldn't do it without you.  As I dive deeper and deeper into my own journey towards a life of balance, health, and vitality I give a deep bow of gratitude to those who walk with me on the journey.  May we all support each other to live more peaceful, mindful, and purposeful lives.  Thanks aunt Deb and Cammie for such an inspiring visit.  I always LOVE hanging out with you. 
      

Daffodils

Spring is here!  The daffodils are in full bloom and the robins are singing their song, and it feels good.  In the deep of winter Beverly and I made an agreement to get fit and implement health goals.  It’s been three months, and now as Spring rises to meet us, it is a good time to reevaluate and redefine what’s real and what needs to change.  Instead of getting “fit”, it’s really about staying healthy and feeling good.  This process has been about sustainability.  How do we create lasting change in our lives that promotes wellness?  Baby steps…….

I’ve decided I don’t want to have my body fat analyzed again.  I started at a healthy point, and honestly I don’t want to spend the money.  It was a great place to start because it let me know that I was right where I wanted to be.  My metabolism is spot on, and my cardiac fitness is above average.  I’m happy with that.  I’d rather put the funds towards more yoga classes!  In the end it’s how I feel about myself.   I’m feeling stronger all the time, and I’m starting to hold and get into new yoga poses I was unable to before.  Woohoo!  It feels so awesome.  Working with Tsipora at Silver Falls Yoga has been a great help, I highly recommend her classes.  

Reflecting back over the past three months I see the moments when I was down and the moments when I was up.  That’s the beauty of waking up to life, it’s full of expansion and contraction, birth and death, light and dark.  The sun is returning after the long winter, and now it’s a time to plant seeds and nourish them.  I’m contemplating what seeds I want to sprout.  I will continue deepening my yoga practice, and lately this is including the study of mantra.  In April, I start a 9 month yoga intensive with Sianna Sherman at Yoga Union in Portland, OR.  I’m looking forward to the opportunity to deepen my study and continuing to open my heart to living life fully in each moment.  What seeds are you planting in your life?  What do you want to see grow and flourish?  This is a great time to reflect on intentions set at the beginning of the New Year and reevaluate what’s true for you.  Is there something you need to recommit to?  Enhance?  Let go of?  What would create the best soil to plant the seeds for abundance and vitality in your life? 

I have some Qi Gong seeds I'm working on right now as well, but I will save that for another post.  

I just got a book in the mail about other people on the GAPS diet and their stories.  I'm looking forward to reading it, and I will share any inspirations I find.  I fell off the GAPS wagon around my birthday, but I'm finding my way back.  At least I fell off with a chocolate cake a friend made, and some nice red wine!  It was heavenly cacao cake, gluten free and beets for the sugar, WOW!!  We have to indulge every now and again, especially on food that is not only delicious but "mostly" healthy.  I've been gluten free for some time now due to celiac disease, and the more I heal my body the more vibrant I am.  Feeling the difference in my body when I make positive food choices is worth every moment spent in the kitchen making lunches, dinners, snacks, and breakfasts.  I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, but it's worth it to know what's in my food.  Thankfully, my husband also loves to cook. 

Beverly will also be posting a blog this week about her struggles and strengths.  I’m looking forward to reading it.  I have invited a few people to be guest bloggers, so hopefully they will join in the fun as well. 

This picture is from my birthday celebration in February on the Oregon coast.  My husband, Tyson, and our dog, Trillium, had a magical few days watching waves roll in and crash against the land.  It was quite a gift to spend my birthday with the ocean and my sweet family.  Happy Spring everyone, may your light continue to shine shine shine into this wonderful world.  

Meet my friend Anger

The birds are chirping a little more eagerly these days, and it feels so good to see the beginnings of spring breaking through the soil.  I have been feeling the drag of winter, and the last week was a hard one for me.  I felt a lot of frustration and anger with no apparent reason.  I did A LOT of yoga in order to break through it.  Yesterday "the funk" lifted, and I felt more myself again.  Thank goodness!

Stress is similar to a magician or a ninja.  I don't always recognize whats going on until I see the final "pow!"  I realize now that my mood of frustration was coming from the build up of lots of little stressors that I wasn't acknowledging and working to remedy.  A little awareness goes a long way.  I knew I was frustrated, but I couldn't figure out the root?  Of course, in the end it wasn't one thing.  What I did realize, is that I have some unresolved anger.  Who knew (just kidding, I did know)!

Anger can be a difficult emotion to work with and acknowledge.  It's not a comfortable place for me to go.  I don't like being angry.   I actually avoid it with lots of other more "pleasant" emotions.  I feel like the more deeply I go into living in the moment, the more anger I have to deal with.  I've pushed it down for a lot of years in order to be polite, nice, and do what I thought was pleasing others.  The more I work with anger, the more I realize its usually linked to a deeper emotion of sadness, loss of power, self judgement, or resentment.  When I close my eyes and feel anger in my body, it's tucked up behind my heart.  It rests there restricting my breathing.  It's ok though.  I welcome it like an old friend, getting to know it, recognizing how it shows up in my life, and noticing what kind of reactions I give it.  At times it can be a little overwhelming, that's when I may have to talk with someone else about it (or give someone the bird while driving.....just kidding, again).  Bev got to hear a lot about my anger this past week as I analyzed myself aloud, she is a great sister.  I truly feel we cannot live life alone, isolated, we have to feel the support of community.  We become real through our interactions with others, so thanks Bev.

In the end, I believe that this new level of anger has risen up through the process of changing my diet, exercise, and cultivating a mindful lifestyle.  It's changing the way I inhabit my body/mind/heart.  I'm purging up all the old crap in order to find more freedom in the present.  Old patterns need to change, and it takes awareness to make those changes.  Growing isn't always easily, but I would rather reach upward than stay in the same place.

Yoga and walking in the woods has been so wonderful these past few weeks.  I cannot even begin to describe the peace and relief I feel during and afterwards.  There are definitely times when I do not want to get on the mat, but I do, and I always feel better afterwards.  No one can do my yoga for me.

I have to give myself little rewards, and I thought I would share my tasty beverage recipe I've been drinking at the end of the day.  Bev and I call it "the milky drink."

In a sauce pan combine the following:

Mug full of Milk, type of your choice (anything except store bought pasteurized milk) options could be coconut milk, almond milk, rice, raw cow/goat etc.
1/2 tsp cardamom
sprinkle or more of cinnamon
1 tsp raw local honey
1 heaping tsp chia seeds
1/2 tsp Ashwaganda
Warm it up on the stove and enjoy

You can get ashwaganda and chia seeds  through Mountain Rose Herbs.  I warn you, this drink is power packed and YUMMY!

Keep going strong with an heart open!  I'm feeling the love today.  Blessings to all, Happy Valentines Day!

Gratitude

“Mindfulness is paying attention on purpose non-judgmentally in the present moment as if your life depended on it.”  -Jon Kabat-Zinn

My life definitely depends on living mindfully.  I have a wonderful monkey mind that swings back and forth trying to distract me, however bringing my awareness back to the moment and breathing deeply liberates me from the chaos.  I can always tell when life is getting away from me; my body aches more, headaches creep in, my shoulders move up towards my ears, and I feel rushed.  Noticing these cues I bring myself back into the breath and back into balance.   Having a mindfulness practice that helps you centered and coming back to yourself keeps the stress of life rolling off your shoulders rather than hanging on.   Do you have a mindfulness practice that is part of your daily routine?  Is it watching the sunrise or sunset, journaling, prayer, meditation?  Whatever it is, may your relationship continue to deepen.

I was able to reignite my yoga practice this weekend at Yoga Union in Portland with teachers Sianna Sherman and Sally Kempton.  We spent the weekend diving deeply into the physical practice of yoga as well as the philosophy of opening the heart and welcoming the energies of the divine feminine into our lives.  I love yoga because it simultaneously tones and purifies the body while igniting love and compassion in the heart. 

It feels so good to be starting off this year, 2013, focusing on my health and vitality in such a gracious way.  When I first started this project I thought I would be hitting the gym at 5 am and taking spinning classes.  Instead, I now have a puppy that requires wonderfully exquisite morning walks, and I started committing more to yoga and qi gong.  We all have to find our path to health.  For some, the gym keeps them engaged, motivated, and part of community.  For others, its videos at home and group exercise outdoors that inspires vitality.   What keeps you inspired?  Is it dance, hula hooping, running, kayaking or some other dynamic activity that gets the body moving?

After this weekend of intense study and pushing myself to the limit physically, mentally, and spiritually I find myself asking, “what do I really want?”  It’s a simple question, but when I ask it there is silence.  Perhaps silence is the perfect answer, for it brings me deeper into contemplation.   Have you asked yourself that question lately?

At the close of a beautiful weekend, I cannot help but feel gratitude for the abundance of love and blessings in my life.  I give thanks for all the wonderful clients, family, friends, and strangers that have brought grace into my life.  May your week be full of gratitude and love………………

Ps.  Drink ginger tea to stay warm on these chilly Oregon nights, add some raw honey for a little treat.  

Above the Clouds

The last week has been amazing.  In town, the trees have been covered in frost and the roads have been frozen.  At my house, which is 13 miles out of town, the sun has been shining and its clear blue skies!  Almost every morning, I go walking to clear my mind and give myself time to contemplate life and all its intricacies.  The weather has inspired me during these walks.  I see sun rays dancing through clouds and the earth waking up.  Living above the clouds for the past week and then driving down into the mist and frozen land has shown me some things about myself and this time of changing old patterns.  The "get fit challenge" is also getting me mentally and spiritually fit and changing me in ways I didn't expect.    

In life, especially during times of great change and transformation, there is always a shift in perception.  How we look at the world, our families, and our life situations can change if we are open to seeing things in a new light.  Over  the past week I would talk to people about the weather in town, and a lot of people were "over it."  I would tell them drive up out of town five miles and you will see the sun!  This is such a great representation of how I feel sometimes.  I will be stuck in a mindset or over think an issue without realizing there is a solution or at least a change in viewpoint if I would just sit back, breathe, and be open to releasing my own agenda.

I had set some goals for myself in regard to my fitness last week, and well...........they didn't all happen like I wanted.  I was able to work qi gong in to my routine quite easily.  However, increasing my yoga to four times a week has not happened yet.  It's ok though, I know I'm on the road.  This week my goal is to do yoga twice, woohoo!  I'm also signed up for a yoga workshop this weekend, which I'm really looking forward to.  I'm hoping it sparks my practice back into gear.

My diet has been really strong.  I started juicing over the last week (add ginger and tumeric for warmth), and I'm feeling strong boosts of energy.  My digestion has felt great.  I've had a few days of fatigue from detoxing, but I just take a detox bath and my energy returns.  I cannot emphasize enough how important deep abdominal breathing is when changing diet, exercise, and life style.  The breath will take you all the way home to yourself!

If your making changes, stay strong and be compassionate with yourself!  Feel free to comment below if you like.  I love hearing from you!  Our website, www.twosistershealing.com, is always a resource for more information.   Invest in yourself- eat healthy, exercise, and think gratitude.

Taking the Plunge

By Katie Rablin  (Bev says she will blog soon)
The "get fit challenge" has begun!  It's mid-Janruary (not the 1st) but there is never a bad time to start.

I had my appointment with Cindy at Peak Performance, and it went great.  She had me write down some health goals before we started that included goal weight and ideal body fat.  Guess what?  I've already reached my goal of being 22% body fat!  Ok, 22% was my goal but what I didn't realize is that I'm already 22%.  I had no idea.  In my mind I feel like I'm 30%!  To test the body fat Cindy uses a dunk tank, and I had to go under the water and hold my breath while she did the reading.  It's pretty simple and straight forward, and she is super patient.  I took the plunge and came out realizing I'm healthier than I thought I was.  It's amazing how the mind can play tricks on us, and I really liked seeing  the data from the testing, it's motivating.

I also did my basic metabolic rate, which was good.  I burn 1900 cal a day on average just doing my thing, which shows my metabolism is cooking (thank goodness).  It makes me realize that deep breathing, stretching, qi gong, yoga, and a healthy diet have helped my body stay in balance.  If I want to lose some pounds I just have to crank up the exercise a little bit.

Lastly, I did the sub VO2 max.  This included running on a treadmill with a tube attached to my face via a mask.  This was the most surprising test for me.  I ended up being in the "superior" category, which both Cindy and I were shocked at because I don't do any technical "cardio" workouts.  I do qi gong and yoga, with a mild jog a few times a month.  The lesson for me is that yoga and qi gong are powerful tools to keep the heart and lungs in shape.  I study with the Ling Gui Qi Gong School based in Portland, Oregon.  Qi Gong reduces stress and promotes deep abdominal breathing.  It's fantastic!  I'm hoping to start teaching Qi Gong classes in Silverton soon.

Altogether, the testing with Cindy showed me that I'm healthier than I thought I was, especially after coming out of four years of graduate school.  I still want to feel stronger and be more flexible.  My health goals for the next 3 months are:

#1  Do yoga 3-4 times a week for at least an hour
#2  Do Qi Gong 4 times a week for at least an hour
#3  Maintain my GAPS diet
#4  Contemplate full-time gym membership?

I did a two week trial at Silverton Fitness which was great.  I took a wonderful pilates class from Rita, and I felt muscles I haven't felt in a long time.  I tried the yoga class.  The instructor was great, but the room was freezing cold, to cold for me to do yoga in (people had gloves on at the end of class).  I haven't tried the boot camp yet, and the boxing looked kind of fun!  I'm contemplating joining the gym full-time if I can work some more of the classes into my schedule, which is what I seem to enjoy most.  I'm told the zumba is super fun.

My challenges:
#1  I got a new puppy, Trillium, and she is taking up a lot of time!  My sister, Beverly, has a five year old daughter, Ariah, so I guess I shouldn't complain ( :
#2  Fitting gym classes into my work schedule is hard.  I asked one of the trainers at the gym, Rita, how she gets up to teach 5 o'clock classes, and her response "you just do it."  Well, I prefer a yoga session at home on my own or with a DVD.  I'm just not into the 5 am classes yet, yikes.
#3  My puppy likes to chew on me while doing yoga.............hmmmm

I've been sugar, caffeine, grain, and processed anything free for the last week.  I'm back on my GAPS diet full on, and I'm feeling great.  I've had a few headaches coming off the sugar, but a good detox bath of kelp, apple cider vinegar, or epsom salts works wonders.  My skin is clearing up (I've had eczema for years) and I love being free from the itchiness of eczema.  The GAPS diet has been a true life saver for me in regards to healing food sensitivities and chronic skin problems.  My eczema is about 90% better after going on the diet last year.  I can hardly wait for you all to hear about Beverly starting the diet, she detoxifies rather intensely and is completely addicted to sugar.  The other day I got a phone call from her and she says, "I have to confess something, I let 3 chocolate chips melt in my mouth today and they tasted so good!"  I was laughing pretty good.  It's nice to have someone to check in with and laugh through the cravings, moodiness, etc that comes when taking all the "junk" out of the body.  I don't think Bev's 3 chocolate chips set her back,  she is hanging tough with me.  I know from experience that it gets easier with time.  The body calms down and finds a rhythm.  We are changing patterns.  Bev and I had a pattern of eating dark rich chocolate chips together.  Now, we taste each others fermented foods.  After some time on the diet we will try and introduce organic dark cacao with coconut butter/oil, honey, and some mint.  Chocolate is medicine, we just need to leave out all the sugar.

If you started a new health regimen at the New Year, keep going.  If your considering it, jump on the wagon with us!

Take care and be well!

Getting started

Today Beverly and I went down to Silverton Fitness and took the tour, thanks Barb!  We also talked to Cindy Woodley at Peak Performance Body Assessment located right inside the gym doors.  As we prepare to get started on our new exercise routine and get fit challenge we are checking our schedules and creating change in our lives to accommodate a new routine.  Change can be challenging, but we are up for it. 

Our goals:  to feel better in our bodies, increase our cardiovascular fitness, and support each other in wellness. 

What will happen:  We are going to get an assessment with Cindy at Peak Performance  in order to have baseline information about our bodies as we start our new work out routines, after 3 months we will reassess.  I (Katie) will also start back on my GAPS diet.  We will be blogging regularly and keeping all our readers updated on our peaks and valleys.  We are our own experiment at this point!  Feel free to join in the fun and stay tuned.