10 Superfoods You need to EAT RIGHT NOW for health, energy and longevity

Superfoods seems to be the big buzz word dominating the holistic nutrition field. Superfoods are foods that ounce for ounce pack the most nutritional value for your daily needs for antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

Most are plant based and therefore will also supply you with Phytochemicals, which are particular antioxidant rich substances exclusively found in plants.

Superfoods also provide pure source nutrition meaning that you are not getting segmented nutrients such as those found in multi vitamin and minerals substance. With Superfoods you get the vitamins and all the other components you need to absorb, assimilate and metabolize them.

My motto for nutrition is : Food First, Supplements Secondary

So eat whole foods, mainly fruits and vegetables at every meal. This provides the solid foundation for getting the fuel your body needs to stay energized, young and brimming with health.

Then only use supplements to fill in the gaps on days when you can't get all the foods you need. Or if you have a particular ailment or disease then supplementation becomes more critical. But again a clean diet is first and the foundation for any therapy or protocol you adopt.

10 Superfoods You Must Include in Your Diet:

1) Kale

By far one of the best green leafy vegetables you can consume. High in phytochemical power, antioxidants particularly beta carotene and Vitamin C. It is rich in fiber and contains sulforaphane (particularly when chopped or minced), a chemical believed to have potent anti-cancer properties.

2) Berries Contain some of the highest amounts of antioxidants of all foods. They are low in sugar, and high in fiber making them very carb friendly especially for those suffering with diabetes or insulin resistance.

3) Flax Oil and Flaxseeds:

Flax is brimming with a powerhouse of phytochemicals called lignans. Lignans are powerful antioxidants that have been proven to fight breast cancer in numerous medical studies. Flaxseed is a rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids which assist in the reduction of inflammation and also in the prevention of heart disease. Buy whole seeds and grind them just before you sprinkle them on salads, soups, oatmeal and rice.

4) Broccoli

A cruciferous vegetable and huge cancer fighter. It also contains sulforaphane and helps in the prevention of cancer and degenerative disease.

5) Garlic

A powerful antioxidant that contains a potent component called allicin. Has been proven to fight and treat colds providing the same action of antibiotics without all the nasty side effects :) Helps lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol and increase overall immunity.

6) Cinnamon,Tumeric, Ginger, Basil

These are the powerhouse herbs you should be using daily when cooking your delicious and healthy meals. All are warming, full of antioxidants and pure cancer fighters! They also help clean the blood, and act as detoxifiers for the whole body. Ginger is particularly useful for digestion and will help relieve digestive upset. Cinnamon has been proven to regulate sugar and thus keeps insulin at balanced levels. Tumeric is the powerhouse of anti inflammatory action for the whole body. Tumeric also has been studied for its effects on the prevention of degenerative disease.

7) Quinoa

This is the new oatmeal. Its even better than those scottish oats you've been eating. It has NO GLUTEN, higher in PROTEIN, easily digestible, a great source of fiber, vitamins and minerals, and cooks in less time! Will provide lasting energy for workouts or just long hectic days.

8) Artichokes

Artichokes are one of the best foods for making your liver happy. They help with bile production and overall detoxification of the liver. They are also considered great blood cleansers. Artichokes contain bitter properties that help the body also digest, break down and assimilate the food you eat. They are high in fiber, iron, antioxidants and minerals.

9) Sweet potatoes

One of the best sources of clean unprocessed carbs you can include in your daily diet. They are a rich source of beta carotene which is one of the biggest powerhouse antioxidants out there. They are easily digested and provide fiber and thus are lower than white potatoes in terms of the glycemic index. Great for a post workout meal to refuel your glycogen needs.

10) Onions:

Onions contain as much as 150 phytochemicals. In particular quercetin a flavnoid, helps eliminate free radicals in the body, protects and regenerates Vitamin E, and helps reduce cholesterol. Onions help build up the blood and overall immunity function. Great for prevention of colds, flus, and overall detoxification.

Time to get cooking!

Love and Light

Piera

5 Things You Can do to Improve your Digestion!

IBS, gas, bloating, constipation, colitis, diverticulitis, diarrhea, Crohn's, indigestion, heart burn, abdominal cramping, and the list goes on and on for digestive disorders and disease.

It's almost "normal" to encounter these chief complaints in the patients I see in my daily practice. I would say 8 out of every 10 people I see will report a digestive malady of some sort. Some are as minor as mild food intolerances to others being in the throws of a very progressed disease state such as diverticulitis or colon cancer.

The 3 main things to address when preventing and treating digestive disorders are the following:

1. Diet/Lifestyle- What you eat, how you eat it ( do you continuously eat on the run?) , how much exercise and which type, habits like smoking, excessive drinking, drugs, not sleeping enough, and overworking all contribute to digestive health or lack there of.
2. Stress- From work stress, to relationship conflicts, to environmental toxins , the body is constantly bombarded with increasing demands to regenerate, and detoxify and handle it all. Stress comes in the form of mental, emotional and physical. Left unchecked it is a primary contributor to digestive problems.
3. Spiritual Connection- Loss of a connection to your Higher Self or power can leave you depleted and ungrounded. When you are not Core Connected you are acting out of the EGO and not your truth. The abdomen is the center of "will power" and personal truth and strength. Denying this denies you the security to feel in power of your reality. The gut is the center of courage and self confidence. Digestive disorders often are symptoms that you are not living your truth and instead are living in a fear or survival mode.

However there are SOULutions!!

1. CUT OUT ALL PROCESSED FOOD: clean up the diet and you help your body by giving it less crap to deal with (excuse the pun). This means no junk food, and no products in packages or cartons.

2. Eliminate DAIRY: at least for the initial period of cleansing and getting the body balanced. Dairy is very mucous forming and just clogs up the whole system. Switch to rice or almond milk as alternatives.

3. Lemon Water and ginger! : First thing upon rising begin your day with a warm glass of water with grated ginger and fresh lemon juice. This helps wake up the system and gets the metabolism in gear for the day's digestive demands. This is one of the best ways to encourage your liver to function optimally!

4. Exercise! Find something you enjoy. Thats really the bottom line. I could sit here and tell you how amazing kettle bells are or how much I love power yoga, but really doing what your body mind and soul enjoy is the key. Walking, hiking and anything outdoors though needs to be emphasized here. Whatever gets you in contact with the natural environment really is important for core connection. When you engage with the natural world, you come back to your natural self which came from the earth. Just sitting on grass and feeling the ground beneath you is therapeutic because we resonate so well with it.

5. MEDITATE or practice some form of mind/ body/soul practice DAILY : Ie tai chi, qui gong, prayer, mantra chanting, pranayama (breath work). Connecting to your inner core is essential to heal and relieve the body from the massive amount of thinking and mind activity we do. The mind will continually do its thing and if we don't become aware that we are more than that we will get sucked right into its illusive game. So meditate to go inwards and find the connection to the real, inner truth you hold. The real you :)

I wish you great blessings and health, and happy happy digestion :)

Namaste

How to "Clear" your Energy to feel physical strength, emotional stability and mental clarity now!

As of late I have been concentrating more and more my focus on shamanic healing. Shamanism is the centuries old practice of energy healing. Most of the energy medicine practiced today stems from this foundation.

A Shaman is the original wounded healer. To practice shamanism is to see the "Light" amongst the darkness. A Shaman feels, sees, hears, moves, tastes and intuitively knows how to use energy to heal and clear stuck karmic patterns of disease, or suffering.

Those called to this vision must endure their own cleansing and journey of healing and self growth. It often becomes a matter of healing through the practice of sharing their light and energy with others. Also the Shaman learns to awaken to her darkness as well as to her Light. Embracing and owning all of that liberates her to truly realize the healer within.

Much of what needs to be done to heal is to clear old patterns of negativity on the mental, emotional and physical planes.

"Clearing" is a very common term used in energy healing work. We work to clear the energy channels of the body, the deep rooted karmic patterns that are embedded in our psyche and body and the limitations of the Egoic mind.

Do you feel physical pain in your body?

Do you feel emotionally out of sorts and in need of more internal peace?

Do you feel Disconnected from your Core center or anchor to your inner truth?

Here is a Clearing Meditation you can use as a tool to release any pain, or suffering you may be experiencing:

1. Sit in a comfortable position, begin to tune into the breath. Feel it, hear, and sense it entirely without changing the quality.

2. Go deeper by deepening the breath, and elongating each inhalation and exhaltion until you can slow it down to a count of 7 in and 7 out. Every inhalation offers you the opportunity to fill and expand. Every exhalation offers the opportunity to release and let go all that is not serving you.

3. Begin to VISION light surrounding your whole being, and space. Ask to have the higher power support and assist you. Believe with every atom of your being you are being healed and cleansed.

4. Fully experience this visualization with every atom of your being. Envision the light clearing your body, mind and whole energetic existence. Envision the light permeating every atom of your being. Feel this and sense the energy here.

5. Thank the universe for this intervention and then place an intention out into this light. The intention is energized and fully supported by the higher power. Feel the expansion of this experience throughout your whole body.

6. Come back fully into body, by feeling your body on the ground. Hip bones, legs or feet fully grounded into the floor beneath you. Slowly come back to the room.

The more you do this type of visual meditation the more clear your energy becomes. The more you release negative emotions, energy and feelings. The clearer you become the more highly attuned your INTUITION becomes.

Keep walking LIGHTly

Namaste

Piera

Let's heat it up! 5 Powerful Benefits of Hot Yoga

I'm making peace with Hot Yoga.

I used to refuse attending hot yoga classes. I felt it was not very "yogic" or traditionally based. I struggled with the heat, and getting so hot and sweaty. I swear I lose at least 5 pounds in sweat after a 90 minute class. I curse as the yoga teacher keeps moving instead of giving us more water breaks.

But isn't yoga about EXPANSION and releasing the limitations in our life?

Isn't yoga about breaking that shell that binds us to our "comfy" zones in life?

Isn't Yoga about stepping out of that comfort zone and accepting new spaces and experiences ?

YES to all of that. And that's what keeps me on my mat everyday. Through the thick and the thicker.

So I've made it my intention to broaden my practice and accept that Yoga is not just Ashtanga or a certain style on the mat. Yoga is the union with the greatest part of ourselves. The divine Self if you may. So as a soul traveller, I invite changes and new experiences on my path everyday. Hot yoga is one way that truly is getting me out of my "safe" space.

Ready to get hot?

Sweaty?

Fit?

Toned? and DETOXIFIED? Then stay with me here and read on!

Why Hot Yoga?

I believe incorporating hot yoga a few times a week, really can offer you an experience that may bring you benefits you may not receive through just regular gym workouts, or sauna therapies. It also can improve your RUNNING, WEIGHT TRAINING, and all SPORTS training.

The 5 Hot Benefits of Hot Yoga!

1) Encourages Detoxification!

The hot environment of a heated yoga class induces more sweating and you therefore can release more toxins from your body. Sweating is good for you. Just be aware of how much you do lose during a class. Bring a water bottle and add a good electrolyte supplement if you are one of those people that excessively sweat or have low blood pressure. Always go by how your body feels.

2) Helps Cardiovascular Fitness

Hotter temperatures increase your heart rate naturally. So during a Hot Yoga class you will feel your heart rate soar higher than a regular Hatha style class. Again proceed with caution if you have cardiovascular health issues. If you have hypertension or high blood pressure it is not advised to do hot yoga. For those that are healthy otherwise you will find your cardio system will get stronger and you will have more endurance in all other activities you perform. I personally found that my running has improved significantly since practicing hot yoga. I can run longer and with more stamina. Not to shabby!

3) Encourages Flexibility:

Like all types of yoga, Hot Yoga encourages muscular flexibility. The hot temperature helps get muscles warmed up and hot throughout the practice. I find this especially inviting in the winter months when I feel more stiff and cold internally.

There are caveats to this extra flexibility. Being in a warm room may place you at risk of OVER stretching. So as much as its so tempting to go beyond what you normally can do in a regular yoga class, DON'T! Trust me on this one. You don't want to pop a hamstring or knee joint because you feel more loose. Do what you normally are capable of doing.

Actually my advice here is DO LESS when you first begin hot yoga classes. This means PULL BACK a bit in your poses and don't go all out. Less is definitely more in YOGA. You still reap all the benefits, and it will give you more room to really focus on the breath!

4) Improves Metabolism and Digestion:

Many report that hot yoga helps boost the metabolism and also curbs over eating. Improved digestion also is big one with many hot yoga practitioners. I've noticed since incorporating more hot yoga classes, that my appetite has diminished significantly and is more stable. So I don't hit sugar lows or raging cravings as much! Very nice :)

Also, it appears that the increase in circulation and enhanced detoxification really help to improve the digestion, assimilation and elimination of food through the system. Yoga improves peristalsis action of the colon with poses such as twists, forward bends and inversions. The heat increases the heart rate and thus raises the metabolism more so than a gentle or regular yoga class. So if you are struggling with some extra pounds or digestive upset hot yoga may help improve your weight management goals too!

5) Improved Circulation and Raises Core Body Temperature

All yoga helps with circulation and stagnant energy. Hot Yoga provides an added element - HEAT that helps those with circulation problems get warm and stay warm all day. I've noticed personally a huge difference in my tolerance for cold weather. I normally am always feeling very cold. My hands and feet are often like ice! But with temperatures below freezing lately here in Toronto, I've actually been outside more! Now this is like headline news in my life. I usually hibernate indoors or the yoga studio all winter. I've been outside more, and exploring the winter delights. Thank you HOT YOGA ;)

I want to hear your HOT YOGA story! Get down and sweaty with this. Tell me what it does for you, how it has improved your life or just how much you struggle with it. Lets hear it all ;)

Keep the deodorant handy, lots of towels, and drink drink drink the H2O.....

Namaste

Piera

Heal Your Pain Without Pills- 3 Steps to Relief!

How does pain and suffering affect your life? How do you deal with pain?

Instead of going on auto pilot mode, please stop and feel the pain and put down the pain relief meds for a moment. Read the following instead......

Some pain is physical. Some pain comes from emotional blocks and unresolved issues. Some pain is inflicted upon us from seemingly unforeseen causes. Consciously you may not know why, but subconsciously you are holding a pattern that enables the pain to manifest again and again. Pain may come in different forms, but they all seem to have this common thread.

Pain is universal to human beings. We all feel pain during different times in our lives. How you deal with your pain is very significant and often determines how well you get through and heal it.

Pain warns you. Pain notifies you that things are not right and that you MUST take attention to your body, mind and soul. Pain is a difficult thing to comprehend sometimes, and we often feel victims when we don't know how to handle it.

Speaking from personal experience from dealing with intense pain, I now have come to a very great appreciation for pain. Pain is a teacher. Pain has been one of my greatest teachers.

What I have learned from pain:

• Physical pain tells me I need to STOP, and step back and realize I am not present
• Emotional pain tells me I am human, and encourages me to start ASKING questions about what is going on in my life
• Emotional upsets and pain also alert me to taking a moment to realize I am not PRESENT, and that I need to feel the emotions and allow them to just be. Eventually they dissipate just as they came on.
• Physical pain also alerts me to the reality that I need to take a BREATH and become still in order to HEAR the VOICE of my pain

Your pain and my pain has a VOICE. It is one way your mind, body and spirit COMMUNICATES with you.

Next time you find yourself in PAIN and are suffering do the following:

1) Just STOP: yes pause and completely stop yourself from moving. In stillness there comes clarity

2) BREATH: Once you have stilled the body, STILL the mind and everything else follows. Remember the BREATH is your direct link to connecting with your INNER GREATNESS. Breath into the pain, BREATH to release the stress, and breath to FEEL your whole body. The mind follows the breath. Slow the breath, and you slow the mind.

3) Ask and Assess: Now that you are core connected, still, and more clear, things are given a chance to shift. You have opened your channels to receive the answers you need to make better choices for yourself and alleviate the blocks that are causing you pain. Pain is blockage. More precisely pain is a blockage to energy channels due to repressed feelings, emotions and issues.

Implement the three steps above every time you find yourself in pain or anxious with emotional turbulence. Each step takes your through the pain, instead of SUPPRESSING the pain. Medication is a very disadvantageous way to deal with pain because it SUPPRESSES pain. Meds do not HEAL your pain. Please know that you can feel your pain and not be destroyed by it!

Yoga also is a great way to relieve stress and manage pain. It utilizes the breath and brings you to experience more PRESENCE in your life. Each time you step on your mat, you are given the opportunity to Stop, TUNE in, and breath through the resistance.

I'm always here to hold your hand ;) Reply with questions or your own thoughts :) Love it all!

Namaste

Mad loves

Piera

The Heart of the Matter- 5 POWERFUL Ways to Dissolve Emotional Blocks

Have you ever thought of what your heart does for you?

Physically it is a vital organ and as such our health depends on its function and ability to sustain the whole cardiovascular system. However, our hearts are much more than just a pump that allows the blood to flow throughout our bodies.

According to Gregg Braden's research in quantum physics and biology, our hearts magnetically affect not only our own organism, but also our external realities. Being such a power center, what we feel emotionally becomes an expression of its magnetic output.

The heart in Yogic texts and philosophy has been described as the "seat of compassion". The area capable of feeling appreciation, intense joy, love and empathy for the other. So when you feel the emotion of love for another, your dog or a social cause you project that vibration through the heart. Magnetically you construct the circumstances of that expression via the attraction or pull of the vibrations created through it.

So when you create the feeling of love within yourself, it supports the circumstances of love around you. It draws more of that same "vibe". The heart does not so much feel sadness or pain when you get emotionally hurt. The sadness is more a reaction by the heart to the block created around it.

This block is usually initiated by the MIND. So the sadness really is the inability to SHINE and GIVE LOVE out as a vibration.

Make sense?

The heart on an emotional level simply wants to love. Without conditions. The pain and suffering we feel is a manifestation created most often imposed by our MINDS. The mind will create fear out of it's need to feel secure. It's false evidence appearing real.

The mind is like a dog, it needs constant training and conditioning. The right kind! Limiting beliefs, grasping to the the external and black or white thinking are things we need to let go of. Assisting the mind with positive vibes, reassurance with praise and optimism are a winning combination for keeping you on the track of your desires and dreams.

The heart is then FREE to express its innate ability to feel joy, happiness and intense love. You naturally are VIBRANT, JOYFUL and IMMENSELY happy! When you feel out of sorts, depressed, angry, hostile, unsatisfied it is truly a sign that your heart is not being given the opportunity to EXPRESS its most natural state.

ASK for clarification. What is the block surrounding your heart? Or more precisely, which limiting thoughts and beliefs are barricading your heart's potential? The answer will come, if you become quiet enough and dwell in the stillness of the moment. Come on, give it a try!

Heart Chakra

5 POWERFUL ways to DISSOLVE Heart Chakra Blocks:

1. Energy Body Work: Yoga, Reiki therapy, Energy Touch Healing, Sacred geometry

2. Prayer and/or Meditation: daily practice opens our heart center, and encourages compassion to be nurtured and projected

3.FORGIVENESS The act of forgiving others, and OURSELVES is an intensely powerful way to dismantle heart Chakra blockage

4. Appreciation/Gratitude: Everyday make it a priority to just immerse yourself in the vibration of appreciation. Think of the fact you can breath without assistance, or you can walk, see , hear, have food on your table, the ability to wear what you please, etc etc etc. Abundance is everywhere, you simply have to acknowledge. The more you do this, the more you attract it in your life!

5. ART: Creating poetry, visual arts, and music are powerful expressions of the heart and soul. Art is therapeutic and often an easier vehicle for some to express their innermost feelings. Pouring your heart felt joy and compassion through art can dissolve the barriers that you may feel surrounding your life.


With Love and Light,

Namaste

Piera

What You See is ALWAYS What You Get!

Everything has energy. Your every word and action has an energetic vibe to it. Every thought you have is imbued with energy. So what you see, think and believe create your external circumstances. Can you see that?


When we are small children we live in the miraculous world of fantasy. We lose ourselves in that playful , no restrictions or limits of fun and imagination. We SEE with the MIND'S EYE what we would like to be, have and do. We create vivid stories of our roles, aspirations and ideas. We really lose ourselves in the possibilities of the universe without thinking even for a slight chance that we might fail.

Why is that we lose that beautiful ability to SEE our deepest desires and instead resort to believing those negative voices in our head?

Its time to SEE the greatness of who we really are by SEEING it with your MIND's EYE.

Make it a PRIORITY to visualize, and see yourself the way you truly desire yourself to be. Picture what you want to be, have and do.

Write this down to solidify the intentions. Then make it a point to take 5-10 minutes everyday to SEE yourself in the scenarios you want to experience and fully engage in, in your life.



Like Jason Derulo says in his lyrics "In My Head" :

In my head, I see you all over me.
In my head, you fulfill my fantasy.
Youll be screaming no.
In my head, its going down.
In my head, its going down.
In my head. Yeah. In my head. Oh yeah.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU-ZQWZSGfc

He sees his desire with strong conviction and as if he ALREADY has the fantasy. In his head it already IS. Those thoughts project forth and create the reality. There is no debate about the law of attraction.

What you continually see, concentrate on, talk about to others and yourself, complain about, focus on, write about, and THINK about you create more of the same "stuff".

So if you complain about your mother, or how poor you are, or why everything is so 'hard' and difficult than the reality is, it really is hard and difficult for you. Nothing will change.

Play, create, and get back to that childhood state of wonder, joy and unlimited thinking.

In your head SEE the magic, the miracles and the ABUNDANCE you desire. See it with everything you have. Because it's really already here for you to enjoy.

Love and light!

Namaste

Piera