Almost Done
For Day 8 of my cleanse, my son was sick so my day was dedicated to managing his digestion. There is a pretty ugly stomach flu out there right now. At first, I thought that he may have had the measles. But after further investigation, the friend, who originally informed me of the measles exposure, called me back and said that the doctor misdiagnosed. The blood work had returned with a negative indication. I was totally relieved. My son is not vaccinated. We made that choice and was totally aware of the pros and cons of the route (another blog for later). However, I learned much about managing the measles in a conscious way (another blog for later).  My son's oil regimen to heal is stomach yuckiness consisted of Eucalyptus oil (anti-biotic), Chamomile oil (digestive), and On Guard (anti-biotic). 

Night Walk
For my exercise, I waited til  my son was sound asleep with the angels (I used this term in the past and there was some confusion. I mean that he is in deep sleep with the angels and spirits in heaven.) and I went on a night walk for an hour. I realized that this whole process of transformation has been one big RESET button. We all need a time to reset our digestion or just reset our lives. And it is never to late to do this rebellious, courageous thing! What have you desired to reset? Your love life? Your career? Your spiritual life? Your relationships with your friends and families?  What areas in your life do you want to change?  Your body? Your mind? Your spirit? What areas of your life need to be reconciled? What has been lost or maybe just forgotten? What areas in your life do you not like? Are you totally excited about today? Are you totally excited about your life? Are you totally excited about your devotion to God? Are you ready to make your transformation?


Let me know if you would like a $50 Gift Card to go towards your cleanse. I highly recommend you embarking on this transformation for yourself.

Too Much
I did way too much exercise on Day Four of my Transformation Cleanse. My family and I hiked the Camp Verde caves across from Camp Verde High School. I didn't know it would turn into a two and a half hour adventure. On the cleanse, it is suggested that you exercise 30-45 minutes. Additional stress on the body should be avoided. Although I was aware of the exercise guidelines, I still participated and enjoyed the hike. The caves were so unique, and I had a distinct feeling that people lived there. I felt the spirits of the past. I looked around, and it felt as if it was a neighborhood hundreds of years ago.  I could feel the tasks of the community being done, and the routines of living on the land. I felt special to connect to the history of the land. The limestone of the caves were like chalk. The ruins on the top of the mountains were untouched and preserved. We even found some ancient pottery pieces. My son was amazing; he hiked all the way up the mountain on his own. He didn't complain about it; he really enjoyed the hike. I really think one day he will be a long distance runner or cross country competitor. He is very athletic, and it comes totally natural to him. We also took our small dog, Chuy, who is just a puppy. And the dog did a fabulous job too. He loved it. He barked at every little creature though, which echoed from mountain to mountain. His barks awakened the spirit of the mountains. I saw the faces in the rocks; and they were very old and wise. I gave the rocks and mountains all my worries, and I made a wish.
The Mother
I am working on a book that has totally challenged me to listen faithfully to the Mother, which is the Goddess. My fourth day was filled of listening exercises for me to examine and analyze. I returned again to the Goddess to help listen deeply with compassion and purpose and most of all clarity. Don't get me started about clarity! I feel like most of my life has had some level of confusion in decision making. The last six months for me has been a practice of clarity and clarity and yearning for more clarity. I noticed a few days ago that my son and I have communication problems, where sometimes he doesn't listen to me. I am sure there are instances where communication is an issue for everyone, but I wanted to see my 5 year-old's response to my question, "Why don't you listen to Mama?"  And he simply said that he didn't know. I truly believe him. I don't think he knew. On this Day Four,  my big realization was that I needed to listen to him with more understanding and more love. I thought that I had been listening to him, but in actuality, I was too busy to consistently listen to him with my heart. I know that no one is perfect, and I don't pretend to ever be perfect. I was just happy that I discovered a deeper understanding of my beautiful boy. You can't receive these moments of understanding if you are too rigid and firm with children. You need to lighten with them to totally understand their imagination and world. It is well worth the investigation. The Goddess led me to this deeper understanding of my family. I believe that she has a hand in everything I do and I am so grateful for her presence in my life.
Vitality of Listening and Loving
We all want to be heard and listened to unconditionally, especially children. It is an act of love to give another person this space and hold it safe and secure for them. When we rush to judgment and criticism, we are no longer listening. We are no long feeling. We are no longer empathizing  with them. We cause them stress and generate stress within the thinking mind. This is a form of violence and aggression. Listening is the most loving act we can give another person. It is the most important weapon of our generation. It is the most forgotten skill in the world. Listening is one thing we can do today to change our entire environment. When we focus on what others are saying with loving intentions, then we become one with their hopes and dreams. Then we know that no word is ever wasted. No word is ever misused. We must know how to use the words wisely to empower us all. This is what really inspires me and motivates me on this journey.
What ignites your life? Where is your passion? Where is your excitement? We are meant to be excited about our own existence.
Namaste, Ana

Welcome to the month of May, and we may be experiencing the effects of what is called the Grand Cross in the night sky. It is a rare occurrence when the planets of Jupiter, Mars, Uranus, and Pluto are all aligned to form a cross over the earth. This time has been one of great change, but not like we are not used to it already. 2014 has been packed full of surprises, and twists and turns. This month’s angel message comes from a Doreen Virtue Ph.D.’s deck, The Goddess Guidance Oracle Card.

Creating a Sacred Space

Nemetona’s message focuses on creating time for silence and retreat. Nemetona was a Celtic goddess that created, sustained, and honored several power places in England. My interpretation of receiving Nemetona card is that we all need to connect with sacred space regularly during this time of great changes. I talk about this quite often in my yoga classes. We all yearn to connect with divine silence and the practices of yoga and meditation can help. Develop a home yoga practice for fifteen to thirty minutes. Include lots of Pranayama breathing practices, which is the energetic bridge between the external and the internal.

How can we create a sacred environment within our homes? Very simple devotional scenes can bring peace to any living area. One idea is to create lovely altars. Select an empty space that is kept tidy and clear of clutter. Second, choose a center piece for your altar. It could be a picture of a deity, statue, candle, painting, art piece, rock, book, card (from an angel or tarot deck), fortune cookie message, collage you have created, life map, journal entry (with a wish list or intention), geographic map (that has special meaning to you), or flowers from a garden. Lastly, surround your center piece with offerings of love, such as flowers, silks, incense, essential oils, or fruit. Pay close attention to keeping your altar clean from dust. In my home, we have two altars with two different intentions. The altar in the kitchen is meant to keep the heart of our family healthy, and the other in the bedroom is meant for deep meditation and intuitive insights during sleep time. You can add an intention for your altar as well if you would like.

Creating Sacred Space with Sacred Essential Oils

Frankincense and sandalwood essential oils are perfect for home altars.  Frankincense is often regarded as a holy oil in many countries and throughout time.  It is mentioned in the Bible as one of the gifts given to Jesus by the three wise men.  Many ancient civilizations used Frankincense in ceremony and ritual.  As part of a home altar, it can be diffused or  burnt as incense.  Frankincense can help focus energy and calm impatience. On the other hand,  sandalwood is used to balance the emotions. Sandalwood is another ceremonial holy oil, and ancient Egyptians used it for embalming. Sandalwood can be placed at the third-eye before and after meditation.  Integrate the magic of frankincense and sandalwood into your home's environment and experience the energetic shift.



Announcements

Free Essential Oils Class May 5th at 4 pm. Location: Mother’s Nest in Cottonwood, AZ.

Peaceful Restorative Yoga Retreat in Clearwater Beach, Florida

July 23- July 26 th

Peaceful Restorative Yoga Retreat in Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona

August 30- August 31st.

Spaces are limited. Reserve your space today. More details on my website. Much love to you, Ana

Yesterday at Mother’s Nest in Cottonwood, I taught a class on Emergency Oils and I want to share with you some of the resources I found while doing my research. I especially enjoyed the Dr. Hill’s video on Youtube which is below. First, I would like to mention using essential oils with confidence. Recently, I have been helping a family who has never used anything like oils before; not anything plant-based. They became open to using essential oils because monthly (steadily for four months) they have not been able to get rid of their colds and flus, and the frustration was overwhelming and real.  I felt for them. My brother’s family has gone through that cycle of sickness. Once it get started, it is difficult to stop it. I suggested On Guard DoTerra Blend (similar to Thieves Blend) to them, and they are using it now. I spent an hour coaching them on being confident with using the On Guard.  They seemed really hesitant to use it but completely curious. I could almost read their thoughts: Does it really work? What if it does work? What if it doesn’t work?  Ultimately, I found that education is the key to feeling confident about using anything new. I also wanted them to feel empowered by using the oils; which hopefully that will grow and evolve.   I felt baby steps are the key in introducing new oils. I have been using herbs and oils for the past 13 years and I forget that some people have no background or knowledge on where to begin. I haven’t been to an allopathic physician for over a decade. And I had a midwife for my child’s birth. For me, the reflex to run to a physician when I am sick is just not there anymore; when I get “sick” I go through a whole other process (which is for another blog).  Confidence is the key; in knowing that this type of medicine has been used for a whole lot longer than chemical, synthetic-based medicines of the recent history.  Egyptians have been credited as being the first to use oils as medicine; furthermore it can be traced back as part of India’s Ayurveda and China’s Acupuncture.  All of these are ancient, sacred healing modalities that have withheld the test of time and modern industrialization.

The top Emergency Oils that I have on hand in my home farmacy are the following: lavender, Deep Blue (DoTerra Blend), lemon, and helichrysum. There are many other ones you can use as well; however these four are super versatile.

Lavender is a natural stress reliever. We often forget that emergencies come in all sized and shapes; mental and physical. Lavender is that Go-To oil in the case of all emergencies. For mental relief, we can turn to lavender to calm the nervous system; for depression; for shock; and for emotional pain. For cuts, scrapes, and bruises, we can turn to lavender oil for antiseptic and antimicrobial properties.  It helps with skin rashes or skin cuts; and pain. It is the ultimate medicine to reduce stress in the body.

Deep Blue is a DoTerra blend that was specifically used for muscle aches and soreness. This is another versatile blend that I use for bruises or any joint problems. It is similar to Tiger Balm, but with much cleaner ingredients.  The blend includes Wintergreen, Camphor, Peppermint, Blue Tansy, German Chamomile, Helicyrsum, and Osmanthus. Ok. I love absolutely love peppermint oil, but I kept it out of my top four because it is more of a digestive in my mind; however, it could easily fit on this list, because of its cooling effect on cells and tissues. Deep Blue was specifically constructed to address problems in muscles and bones.

Helichrysum is useful in the repair and regeneration of the cells. It is safe to treat wounds, broken blood vessels, tissue repair and tissue repair.  Energetically, it is used to calm down anger emotions and shock. This is only used for children 6 years and older; and of course adults.


Lemon is your natural sanitizer, cleanser, and disinfectant.  You can make your own Lemon Sanitizer Spray by blending eight ounces of water with 10-15 drops of lemon essential oil. You can add 10-15 drops of On Guard into that blend as well.  Keep this one in your bag at all times, instead of using those chemical-based sanitizers


Overall, I could have easily added my favorite oil of ALL time: Frankincense, because of its healing effects on the nervous system.  The most important aspect of treating your child in emergency situations is being confident. Be confident with yourself and your ability to be your own physician. You can do it! I have done it and many mothers have done it too. Know that this is the tradition of real wellness and health. Also, you are showing your child true empowerment. This is priceless. Where else will they learn true health? Also, know when there are emergencies you can not treat, and when it is time to ask for more help.  Hope this helps. Much love, Ana




Resources:

http://everythingessential.me/HealthConcerns/EmergencyPrepardness.html#page=page-2

Modern Essentials: A Contemporary Guide to the Therapeutic Use of Oils, Fourth Edition