Nanci

Photo by gogo.mn

When you have a bowel movement, your body is providing you with incredible insight as to the state of your health and digestion. If you don’t regularly check the toilet bowl after having a bowel movement then you should! Please note: “stools”, “crap”, “bowel movements”, “BMs” all refer to “POOP”. Here’s what you need to know:

Causes of black-coloured poop:

• iron supplements or foods high in iron
• Pepto-Bismol or other meds with bismuth
• acidified blood (blood from higher in the digestive tract)
• Tylenol and other pain meds
• black licorice
• large amounts of spinach or other greens
• blueberries
• other foods dark in color

Causes of red-coloured poop:

• blood (such as from hemorrhoids, anal fissures, or diverticualr disease)
• red gelatin, popsicles, or food containing artificial red coloring
• tomato juice or soup
• beets – this is a good reason for red poop!

Causes of pale or clay-coloured poop:

• a good indication you need to do a liver cleanse
• liver disease or congestion (such as hepatitis or obstruction of bile ducts)
• antacids containing aluminum hydroxide
• barium from a recent barium enema test

Causes of green-coloured poop:

• large amounts of green, leafy vegetables (ya! for you)
• green or purple artificial coloring (popsicles, Kool-Aid, gelatin)
• iron supplements
• infectious gastroenteritis
• rapid bowel transit from coffee or decreased colonic transit time (ie. constipation)

Causes of orange-coloured poop:

• some medications (such as beta-carotene and Rifampen)
• foods high in beta-carotene: carrots, sweet potatoes, apricots, winter squash, pumpkin, cantaloupe, and mangoes. you would have to eat a heck of a lot of orange foods for this to occur

Causes of undigested food particles in your poop:

• Not chewing enough (remember your stomach does not have teeth!) and eating too fast
• Eating food that cannot be digested ie. corn, peanuts etc
• Consuming too many stimulants, forcing the evacuation of food from your gut before it’s actually ready ie. caffeine containing beverages

Ideal poop colour is chestnut brown.

BEFORE YOU GET PARANOID AND THINK SOMETHING IS WRONG, PLEASE NOTE:

Changes in the color, consistency, and frequency of your bowel movements is completely normal from time to time. Your diet and level of stress will immediately impact your digestion which will be visible going out the other end. As well, this advice is NOT meant to treat or diagnose. Please visit your doctor or qualified practitioner for advice or getting your poop in order.

Written by Joy McCarthy of JoyousHealth.com

Ayurveda is the science of life.

As such, life is always changing, shifting, and transforming around us, and through us. As we employ Ayurveda as a means to discover ourselves further, we can utilize its innate intelligence to guide and nurture us by navigating the temperatures of our individual and communal worlds.

As the holidays roll around, you may notice that you are finding yourself kilter off balance. It’s a motley crew of reasons: the weather, the food you eat, you schedule, your possible anxiety levels, the enthusiasm, and even the conversations that spark around the holiday dinner table.

When you think of Ayurveda, your mind may not jump to all of these topics, but because it is the science of life—Ayurveda does includes all of these things. Therefore, using Ayurvedic tips and techniques can help you adjust your habits so that you can show up as your most balanced self all season long.

Four Ayurvedic Tips for the Holidays

1. Stay warm and stay hydrated

Fall and early winter are vata seasons. This season related to properties of air and and wind, and can influence our ability (or inability) to stay grounded. The qualities of air and wind are very quick and light, found energetically at parties, meals, and even in some conversations. Think about that energy of being pulled in a million directions, or being in a loud and fast paced conversation that  perhaps you weren’t quite ready for.

It’s important during this time of high social and energetic enthusiasm to remain committed to this simple act of self care.  Staying warm physically through clothing, food, and drink gives us a leg up when the vata appears in ways you didn’t prepare for—and helps to support a grounded, open, and genuinely engaged presence (even in the most stressful of situations).

2. Limit spicy foods and alcohol

Nothing stokes a Pitta (fire element) like going home for the holidays. The brain and the belly are inextricably linked. When the mind is active and in overdrive, producing thoughts laced with anxiety and overwhelm, the belly immediately gears up, often producing acidic enzymes creating a hot and spicy internal environment to say the least. An unfortunate bi-product of this very common occurrence is a sharp tongue, and short reaction times.

The solution? Limit spicy foods, moderate alcohol intake, and bring in warm, sweet, and savory foods. With these tools you can support a calmer mind and body, giving you the graceful energy you need to respond to anything and anyone that comes your way.

3. Watch portion sizes and meal times

You will be amazed at how holiday depression can be combated with simple portion control, and regular eating habits. The Kapha (earth element), can be felt strongly during this time of year in the form of lethargy, fatigue, and laziness. Interestingly enough, a simple vata and pitta infusion of rhythm and consistency can help. Rev up the metabolism on a regular basis with light snacks. Doing this supports hormone balance and mental stability—empowering you with powerful ammo for those epic holiday meal times.

4. Engage in a spiritual practice

At the end of the day, we are all spiritual beings, seeking to connect, love, and experience the depth of our human capabilities. The holidays are an amazing time to practice these aspirations with others and grow ourselves in ways unavailable to us the rest of the year. The opportunity for practice lives in each and every holiday party, family and community dinner, and uncomfortable conversation with a family member (or co-worker). Our commitment to our personal practice ensures we nurture the connection to ourselves and our intentions, freeing the energy up to engage, participate, and share with the deep knowledge that we are safe and loved.

– See more at yoganonymous.com 

Years ago, I did a brief stint in film school. One of the projects was a short documentary. My subject was a personal one, I was on a search for wisdom from my elders. I was interested in getting to the core of what really matters in life from the perspective of those who had been living this life for longer than me.

I interviewed three women, each at a different decade of life from 50 to 70 years old. While each women had her own unique insight, there was one quote that has stuck with me. The woman in her 60’s at the end of her interview said what she has learned to be the most important lesson for life:  “Love, love, love and to be of service.” And that quote has stayed with me ever since.

I don’t know about you, but I love our world. And I also feel very worried about it. There are times when I just want to bury my head in the sand hearing about all the different ways global warming is rapidly affecting the earth. Or when I listen or read stories about injustice, genocide, murder, bullying, and so forth; I feel my tender heart about to burst and crumble under the weight of it all.

As a result, I spend a lot of time wondering how to reconcile all of it. How do I make sense of the balance between beauty and heartache? How do I hold the knowledge in my heart of such a wide variety of suffering in the world? How do I overcome feeling helpless to make any sort of impact?

I come back to that simple sentence: Love, love, love and be of service.

I have been known to be fond of dramatics from time to time. And when the weight of the world rests heavily on my shoulders, drastic time calls for drastic measures. Many a time I have thrown my hands in the air and said, “That’s it! We are moving to Nepal and working at an orphanage!”, or “We are giving away everything and living off the land!”, or my favorite, “Screw the world and everyone in it, let’s get drunk!”

While those might actually not be bad ideas for some people (except maybe that last one), for me at this time in my life, not the right decisions. So what to do?

Love, love, love, and be of service

We have choices. Everyday we make endless decisions, large and small, conscious and unconscious. In my life, I have made a conscious decision to choose love and find ways to be of service as much as I can. It is not practical for me to do something large and grand like flying off to some far flung part of the world to help others and really, is that even always the right answer when there is so much that needs work here in our own communities. (Watch this funny video that so aptly illustrates the desire to ‘do good’ in foreign places along with our western privileged assumptions of helping… which is a whole other discussion! But the video is funny and great.)

So for me I start my day with the intention to look for ways to be of service. This sometimes looks like buying flowers at the grocery store and handing them to a stranger when I walk out, letting someone go ahead of me in line, finding compassion for the person who cut me off, make eye contact and smile at the person behind the counter, the possibilities are endless. It really is interesting to look around me with the intention to be of service in any given moment, any situation and see my perspective of the world around me shift. This has become even more meaningful as I spend much of my days with my son, I am motivated to model this love and service so that I am raising a little love warrior.

While most of the time it doesn’t seem to amount to much- am I really stopping global warming? Am I really helping the suffering in the world? I know that I am at least adding to the good in the world. And while part of me feels trite even just writing that, I don’t mean it in a simplistic or abstract new-agey way. If we can be mindful in our everyday decisions in life to choose love, you are at least choosing love. That is a lot better than the other option.

The emotions of love and hate hold a lot of weight. They each carry their own echos out into the world, strong enough for others to respond to, whether we are aware of it or not. Some of the most potent reminders of this are the stories about survivors horrific situations such as abuse, genocide, the Holocaust; whom no one would blame if they stayed angry and bitter, yet who have chosen forgiveness. For me, these are examples that cut straight to my heart. Even out of the harshest circumstances we have the capacity to choose love.  And when we choose to forgive, which is another way of choosing love, the effect of that choice ripples out into the world in such profound ways.

How in your everyday can you choose love? What ways large or small can you be of service? I would love to hear your stories…

Blog by Brea Johnson of Heart and Bones Yoga

1) Remoulding Reality: There is so much we don’t know about what we know. Having been raised in a culture that deeply values hierarchy and money, we have been secretly trained to hold rules that might be enslaving us instead of propelling us forward. Our idea of success is buried in things that don’t touch the Soul, Yoga Trainings begin to ask more. Begging the question again and again, is that true for you, are these ways of existing true for you? Some how in some way, something opens and all of a sudden the need to hustle and feel stressed about not having enough, transforms into “holy shit, I am so taken care of.”

2) Space Holding: Ever feel like no one ever really quite listens to what you are saying? Their physical ear is there, but they’re not hearing the words or the frequency beneath the words? Well, Yoga Training, helps you to not be that friend. As Teachers, we become guiders in Life whether we chose that or not. When we begin to look at our lives with a higher resolution microscope, we learn things about life and the way it works and in that, we gain empathy, understanding, and compassion. So, when friends and family come to you, you can actually listen with a tuned in ear to the pains they are speaking of without needing to try and push it away with statements like, “it’s going to be all good, he is a jerk any ways, or you’re going to be fine.” Being able to Listen, is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, your community and humanity.

3) To Live: Yoga Training helps you to understand Life. In this you gain the Courage to really start Living it – outside the bounds of who and what someone told you, you were suppose to be/do. When we start to observe what the body is experiencing, it becomes a beautiful guide that moves you towards your authentic truth. When we are in line with truth, ease arises, and the Dance of life begins underneath our feet.

4) Freedom: I bet you, you often hear a calling for something more and you have been ignoring it for a while now and there is something deep within you that is getting louder and louder asking you to listen. The Souls cry for freedom. Answer that call. The time for change is Now.

5) Strength and SURRENDER: Learning the pulsation of life can help you move through the tough times with more Grace. Unfortunately (fortunately) tough times are an essential part of life and learning; imagine learning from the rough patches in a much less stressful and tumultuous way. Not everything needs to be dealt with head on, Yoga can teach us to surrender to that which we can not change and to look a little deeper in order to see the truth of the matter, which is always humbling and filled with Powerful Teachings.

6) Re-inhabit Intuition: Living in a society that is mostly based on lies, we have grown to stop trusting our intuition. That which guides us to who we are and our highest purpose. This can lead us to wondering, “what am I doing, what is the point?” Not knowing your purpose can make it really hard to wake up each day, moving through the motions that aren’t moving you. Yoga Training can help to build Self-trust and Confidence to stand up for what you are feeling; as well as, offer a space for others to drop their lies and start moving toward speaking truth and having the strength to say the hardest of things. Moving lies out of the body makes space for deeper movements and more profound moments in life. Life becomes much more juicy!

7) Dissolve Suffering: Suffering exists due to undigested emotional experiences, which tend to inhabit the tissues of the body in the strangest ways. As we practice asana, engage in breathe work, and meditate, these stagnancies begin to move, bringing emotions to the forefront giving us a chance to dissolve past happenings and release them from there grip on our day to day living perspective of life.

8) Threshold meets Change: Often, when we reach the edge of something, friction has built and its hot, frustrating, and it feels like it might collapse you, so we turn around and go back to what we already know and that courageous part of us turtles once again. The cycle ensues. What if, you learned to meet these thresholds and had skills to yield through them? You may start to desire these times of great change instead of fear them. Grace may begin to exist as a consistency in your personality.

9) Authentic Self: Who are you? Be that. Scary? Maybe. Impelling? Most definitely. Yoga Training can help you begin to move through life guided by what really serves you in all senses: food, relationships, work, and love life. To live in complete accordance to that which you were designed for.

10) Navigation: Yoga training teaches us how to begin chipping away all the built in patterns that we have created over time through our experience in this life. How does one begin to “listen” to the inner guide, to have courage to follow it no matter what, to speak truth even when the voice quivers and the truth is hard. Observing the journey of Yoga in the body-mind-spirit continuum teaches us so much, allowing us to start observing moments in a much more profound way.

11) Life becomes an Offering: Empathy. Through working on your Self, the vastness of what makes you begins to reveal itself and within that, we start to see that we are all things: crazy, wild, kind, and free. It is only through allowing yourself to experience all of Life’s emotions, that you begin to make space for the uncalculated pathway of others. Each Life, each Soul is having a different experience than you and your way and learning’s may not be their way. Once this is realized, there is space for you to not attach to their experience but rather joyously (sometimes frustrating) observe them as they unfurl, at their own special pace, way, and time. Not to be corrected or fixed, only Loved through the process. The Ultimate offering.

Any Yoga teacher I know or human that has taken a Yoga Training has said they believe that this should be a mandatory like program. I agree.

Namaste
Sarah Zandbeek

**Check out Sarah and Julia’s 200hr Yoga Teacher Training happening at the beautiful Samata Resort in Goa, India in November 2018 -> www.breatheinlife.com/trainings/india-ytt/welcome **

Matcha everything. That has been my life. Hot matcha tea with breakfast, Iced matcha lattes at Juice Press, matcha overnight oats and chia puddings. Another thing I’m really into is adding greens to the most unexpected of dishes, like acai smoothie bowls and raw chocolate dessert pudding.

How about decadent matcha “cheesecake” slices with a finishing touch of mint and summer strawberries? Now we’re talking. These gluten-free, dairy free, added sugar free treats make the perfect dessert (and maybe breakfast, the criminal kind). Check it out!

Matcha “Cheesecake” Slices Recipe

Base Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup raw almonds (optional: soak them overnight in filtered water to make them more digestible)
• 1/2 cup medjool dates
• 1/3 cup desiccated coconut or 3 tbs coconut oil
• A pinch of sea salt

Strawberry Layer: 

1 cup finely chopped strawberries

Matcha Filling Ingredients:

• 1 cup cashews (soaked in water 5 hours to overnight)
• 1/3 cup coconut butter (I love Dastony or Philosophie coconut butter) 
• 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
• 1/3 cup honey or other sweetener of choice (brown rice syrup is great)
• 1 stem of mint, leaves only 
• 2 tbs. powdered matcha (Vitacost has great affordable organic matcha)
• 1 packet of Aloha Daily Good Greens

Directions: 

1. Add all base ingredients into a food processor and process until combined well.
2. Line a loaf pan with cling film.
3. Spread the mixture into the pan evenly using spatula until the base is even.
4. Put into the freezer to set while you make the matcha layer.
5. Process or blend all filling ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth
6. and creamy.
7. Pull the base out of the freezer and fill with the matcha cream layer.
8. Put back into the freezer for two hours to set.
9. Pull out and cut into slices. Serve frozen or defrosted for 15 minutes, decorated with fresh strawberries. Keep in the freezer for up to two weeks.

ENJOY!

Recipe by Breakfast Criminals