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Holiday Gift Guide

Holiday Gift Guide

Tis' the season to love and to give. As we live the darkest days of the year, we all become little Santas in our own right. Making things cheery and bright with our spirit. Our entire society is based off the goodwill of neighbors and giving. Do onto others as you would have done onto you. This is where the social contract begins.

I want to touch on giving, because our culture is obsessed with shopping. Can we not buy so many presents this year? Maybe just a few. Treat your mom and your closes relatives with thoughtful presents, that's it.

Below you'll find curated love from our whole team. With love and so much joy, Merry Yuletide and Happy Hanukkah!!

Charitable Giving

There are a couple of special organizations that I want to introduce you to. They will make your heart leap with joy in a lasting way like no Amazon shipment can:

The Grandmother's Council: represents a global alliance of thirteen indigenous grandmothers whom through prayer and education offer healing for our Mother Earth and protection for the indigenous ways of life.

Thistle Farms: offers natural bath/body/home products. Your purchase directly supports women who have survived trafficking, prostitution and domestic abuse. They are made by survivors and support survivors.

She's The First: they provide support to girls who will be the first in their families to graduate from high school. 2/3 of the world's illiterate adults are women. We must spread education to women in all parts of the world to ensure equality and the survival of our species.

Compassion Collective: they support motherless children. It started in 2016 to help displaced and orphaned Syrian children and they now have a program to help homeless American youth.

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For The Readers

Check out our curated library of our favorites reads on yoga, Ayurveda, health, motherhood and more!

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The Gift of Learning

Give the gift of knowledge and wisdom with Lineage of Love Gift Cards, or pay for a friend's Ayurveda School tuition.

Gift 1 to 12 month of the our movement, yoga and holistic lifestyle membership with Lineage of Love Gift Cards.

A year-long deep dive into the heart of women's healing traditions with Ayurveda School. If you'd like to gift someone the tuition for this program, please write us at [email protected].

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Shakti School Swag

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Shakti School's Digital Workshops

Download and take these on the go with you

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For the Health Enthusiast

Gifts for the health nerds in your life

Vitamix 3500

Aqua Tru Reverse Osmosis Water Filter

Cast Iron Skillet

Stag Electric Kettle

Earth Grounding Mat

Le Creuset Signature Enamel Dutch Oven

The best sleep mask

Blue light protecting glasses

RMS Living Luminizer

Organic Make-up Signature Set

Magic Dewey Luminizer

Signature Dark Chocolate Bar

(great stocking stuffer!)

Keto Cups

(great stocking stuffer!)

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How to Stay Radiant Throughout the Winter

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At Shakti School we emphasize the importance of educating yourself as much as you can. Knowledge is power. One of the key factors in the evolution towards a more enlightened woman is her wisdom. But, just as the women of Shakti School believe inner beauty to be essential to evolution, we want to radiate on the outside too!

Radiance is achieved through the state of your emotions, it's achieved through your lifestyle habits, what you are putting into your body (the state of your gut), and what you are putting on your body.

The glow of your skin can say a lot about your health.  Our skin is actually one of our best indicators of our overall well being.

We can look at the skin to point to certain imbalances that are happening internally. However, even after the imbalances have been addressed inside the body we can still be confronted with disruptions to the skin through our external environment.

This can become especially challenging during the harsh winter months when the weather is cold, dry, and rough. If we look to the wisdom of Ayurveda we know that it is best to let the seasons be our guide, and if we apply this to how we take care of our skin it becomes a little easier to know what to do.

In the fall and winter when skin is dry and rough, we want to treat it similarly as we would treat the food we eat: nourishing and wet. Cleansing, feeding, and restoring the skin using oils that will help protect, nourish, and deeply moisturize will be the most beneficial.

There are so many beautiful products we love (see list below), but beyond the use of expensive products there is so much you can do yourself to help maintain that healthy glow throughout the dry season.

Here are a few of our favorite skin care tricks that will give you that healthy glow when you’re needing a little extra boost.

Facial & Mouth Exercises

Facial massage has amazing benefits for the skin. It can help to improve sinus drainage, stimulate your lymphatic vessels, and it can also help to prevent wrinkles. We often carry a lot of muscle tension in our face without even realizing it. In addition, a recent study on facial massage showed that it can even help to reduce anxiety and negative mood status.

Did you know that they are approximately fifty muscles in your face?!

Just the same as any other muscle in your body, getting into a regular routine of exercising those muscles will help tone and firm the muscles and additionally will help to tighten any sagging skin.

Ben Greenfield, an expert in the biohacking world, recommends these exercises for the longevity and radiance of your skin. I’ve been incorporating them into my exercise regime and have noticed some amazing benefits:

Forehead and Eye Exercises:

These strengthen the muscles around your forehead and eyes to smooth wrinkles and produce a more awake look:

  1. Put your index fingers about a centimeter above your eyebrows, above the middle of your eyes, and apply gentle pressure. Close your eyes while trying to raise your eyebrows up against your fingers. Repeat 10 times.
  2. Make peace signs using your index and middle fingers and place your middle fingers where your eyebrows start above your nose and your pointer fingers at the end of your brows. Gently push your fingers up and down while flexing your facial muscles to move your brows up and down, simultaneously. Do 3 sets of 10.
  3. Close your eyes and with your eyelids relaxed, lift your brows with your index fingers. Keep your eyes closed while lifting, stretching and strengthening your eyelids, and hold for ten seconds. Repeat 10 times.

Mouth Exercises:

These will strengthen the muscles around your mouth and jaw and give you better control of facial movements.

  1. Smile big and press your fingers against your cheeks to hold it in place. Close your lips halfway and hold for ten seconds, then close lips fully and hold for ten seconds, using your fingers to resist each movement.
  2. Hold your mouth, teeth and lips tightly closed, then separate your teeth as much as you can while keeping lips closed. Slowly move your lower jaw forward as far as you can and hold for five seconds. Return jaw to the original position and repeat five times.
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Dry Brushing

Dry Brushing is a great way to facilitate the skin’s ability to naturally detox. It sweeps away dead skin cells, improves the appearance of the skin, and encourages lymphatic drainage. I’ve also found that it leaves me feeling more energized.

How to Dry-Brush — It's best to use on dry skin before you take a bath or shower. Start at your feet and work your way upwards. Brush in a circular motion always in the direction of your heart. This will help increase blood flow throughout the body. Try to brush for at least 3 minutes working your way up to 5 minutes. After showering make sure to lather yourself in some kind of amazing moisturizer or use your dry brush right before Abhyanga. (See our favorite products below)

Abhyanga

The practice of Abhyanga has been used for thousands of years in Ayurveda. It's an lymphatic massage usually done with infused oils. It improves circulation, gives you softer and more toned skin, helps to strengthen bodily tissues, lubricates your internal organs, joints and bones, and has even shown to improve vision. It also leads to better sleep! For best results try it before a bath at the end of the day.

Choose your favorite oil (warm oil is ideal) and start by massaging your legs and working your way up to the neck and even your scalp if you would like. Massage every part of the body. Use long strokes for your limbs and short circular strokes for your joints and your abdomen. Spend a little extra time on your feet. There are so many nerve points in our feet that are associated with our entire body (including our face).  After you’ve finished do some easy breathing or meditate while the oil soaks in (about 5-10 minutes). Afterward, wash off the excess oil in a bath or hot shower.

Red & Infrared Light Therapy

Red and infrared light is an incredible tool for healing and for anti-aging. It helps to improve the circulation of oxygen-rich blood in the body, helps the body’s collagen to unwind, boosts collagen production, promotes faster healing, and has amazing pain relieving benefits. When you use red and Infrared light therapy it mimics  the heat you feel when you are exposed to the sun, so it’s also a great aid in melatonin production.

Sleep & Managing Stress

Getting proper sleep and managing your stress levels is going to do wonders for your skin. When we aren’t getting an adequate amount of sleep we jeopardize the body’s natural ability to repair itself.

Stay Away from Synthetics

It is truly simple. If you wouldn’t eat it, do not put it on your skin! Make sure to read your labels and look for words like: bpa free, paraben free, free from synthetics, toxins, or fillers, and free from artificial fragrances. It’s also good to get into a habit of checking your own products at home to make sure everything is up to date and not expired.

Create Your Beauty Regimen

Now that you’ve got some helpful practices to start incorporating into you skincare routine let’s get into how you can create the best beauty regime for that lasting life-giving glow.

Cleanse

We like to wash in the morning and the night, but depending on your skin type you may only need an evening Wash. Cleanse your face with warm & your favorite oil cleanser. Oil cleansers are amazing. They help to cleanse the skin without drying the skin out. This is especially good for the longevity of your skin. Cleansing will also help get rid of any sweat, bacteria, or environmental toxins that may have accumulated on your skin’s surface.

Hydrate

Use a misting toner to keep your skin cells plump and hydrated. This will help to protect against dehydration and will also contribute to skin regeneration, smoothness and elasticity.

Nourish/Moisturize 

Our favorite way to moisturize the skin is with oil. A high quality oil will actually help to prevent congestion, moderate inflammation levels, and will also protect the skin from environmental toxins.

Protection

Vitamin D is SO important. We love our sunshine, but it’s also important to protect the skin from overexposure. Using a zinc oxide daily sunscreen will be super helpful in delaying aging and promoting long term happy skin.

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Banyan Botanicals: (Shakti School insiders get 15% off their order with the promo code KATIES15)

Paavani Ayurveda Skin Care: (Shakti School insiders get a discount with the promo code SHAKTIPOWER)

RMS Beauty:

Marie Veronique:

Henné Organics:

Plus these two that we love:

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Blending Ancient Modalities with Modern Day Health Trends

Ancient Perspectives on Modern Day Health Trends

In the modern health world, what is considered healthy or not is constantly in flux. One day eggs are good, the next day they’re bad. One day going vegan is the answer to longevity, and the next day animal fat is the key ingredient to health.

So, What the F**k are we supposed to eat??

It has become increasingly difficult and more confusing than ever to know what diet is individually appropriate. What will give us the results we want? What is suitable to maintain long term health? With the growing number of "diets", nutritionists, wellness coaches, health professionals and biohackers, everyone seems to have a different take.

It’s common for them to use language such as:

  • This diet will make you really healthy
  • You’ll live a really long time
  • This xy or z will make women really skinny, or will help men to build muscle & virility
  • If you don’t eat “this way,” you’ll suffer
  • Here’s the scientific proof that this nutritional approach is “right”

Of course we want to be healthy, strong, and at our ideal body weight. It’s okay to desire to look and feel well, but these types of statements can often be misleading. If we are already in a vulnerable place of feeling unwell, it’s easy to go down the Google-search rabbit hole. This can snowball into attaching yourself to a particular diet that might not actually be suitable to your specific needs or the imbalances at hand.

Perhaps one of the most unique things we can learn from the ancient teachings of Ayurveda is that there is no one standard diet. Each and every one of us has a unique constitution, lifestyle, and background and therefore what will work best for us will be highly individualized.

A good approach in determining the best meal plan that works for you is to first understand what the different diets out there are, decide what resonates with you, what the benefits are, what are the potential side effects, and then how can you fine tune the diet to be appropriate to your specific constitution. Another way to look at would be to ask the question: What would Ayurveda say? 

This may sound like a lot of work, but luckily we’ve given you a head start. Keep reading to learn more about some of the most current health trends, and how using an Ayurvedic approach can lead to a more balanced plate.

Keto

The ketogenic diet is made up of eating mostly fats, a moderate amount of protein, and a very minimal amount of carbohydrates. Eating a high amount of fat and very few carbohydrates will cause your body to go into ketosis. Ketosis a metabolic state where your body burns fat instead of carbs (or glucose) for fuel. This can be very beneficial for certain types of bodies. Especially if it is applied as a short term protocol or in cyclical manner.

Who would benefit from a ketogenic diet? 

If you are insulin sensitive, struggling with high levels of inflammation caused by the “standard American diet” (that is if you are eating high amounts of white sugar and flour), or if you’re looking for a quick reset and you can tolerate high amounts of fat and protein this diet could be helpful. It’s interesting to note that the ketogenic diet was actually developed as a treatment for epilepsy in 1921 by Dr. Russel Wilder, MD, of the Mayo Clinic. He and his team determined that this particular diet could stop seizures and also slow the rapid growth of a lethal brain tumor. This shows that eating in the ketogenic style is and should be used as a therapeutic treatment and not as a long-term plan.

Who is it not suitable for?

If you are undergoing any type of extreme stress, extreme Vata imbalance, or hormonal issues (thyroid regulation or menstrual irregularities) this diet can have some serious negative long-term effects including mood disorders, increased cortisol levels, and it can even lead to weight gain. So, it’s best if this diet is approached with caution, especially for women. As women, we need a certain amount of carbohydrates to produce enough estrogen in order to keep our cycles regular. As Lara Briden, Doctor of Naturopathic medicine, points out in her findings, in a clinical trial on the ketogenic diet for women, 45 percent of the female participants lost their periods within six months.

What would Ayurveda say? The ketogenic diet may have some benefits and could be used as a short-term treatment for some, but too much fat and too much animal protein is hard on your digestive system. We know that animal protein takes longer for the body to digest therefore it sits in your gut longer creating more TAMAS that the body has to deal with later. Going full Keto is similar to carnivore-heavy diets, focusing on consuming large amounts of meat with little to no grains, legumes, or fruit.  In Ancient Ayurveda, grains, legumes, and fruit are actually more Sattvic and are the foods that are essential to creating health and balance.

Whole 30

The Whole 30 diet is somewhat similar to a ketogenic approach, but not quite as extreme with the limited carb intake. The diet consists of eating meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruit, and fats. While eliminating foods such as dairy, sugar (including natural sweeteners & alcohol), all grains, and legumes. The idea is that you will only be consuming whole and unprocessed foods.

Who would benefit from this diet?

If applied short term the Whole 30 diet is suitable and especially appropriate for someone who is insulin sensitive (that is if you didn’t go overboard with the fruit) or if you are targeting certain health goals.

What would Ayurveda say? 

Similarly to the ketogenic diet, it may be beneficial to some and could be used as a short term treatment, but again too much fat and too much animal protein is hard on your digestive system. Ayurveda is also a big proponent of utilizing all the food groups. Any time we completely eliminate multiple food groups for long periods of time you could be setting yourself up for more imbalance.

Veganism

Eating a vegan diet is the complete abstinence from all animal products. The idea is that you are 100% plant based: No dairy, meat, eggs, or any other animal products are permitted. Veganism is often a popular dietary approach in the Yoga community due to the ethical reasons of Ahimsa (non-violence).

Who would benefit from this diet? 

Anyone who is consuming meat from the US industrial farming industry would highly benefit from this diet. If you are unsure where your meat products are coming from chances are it is best to avoid them. The current industrial meat industry is having detrimental effects to the environment, to our digestion, our cardiovascular health, joint health, and is the root cause of many other inflammatory diseases. Adapting a vegan diet would also be beneficial for anyone experiencing high levels of inflammation or extreme Pitta disorders. 

What would Ayurveda Say? 

Similar to all the diets mentioned, whenever you completely eliminate a food group it’s possible you may experience more imbalance. One of Ayurveda’s key ingredients for medicine happens to be an animal product: ghee. Ghee is suitable for all the doshas. It helps to assist in digestion, it keeps your organs and your joints lubricated, it aids in healthy skin, and has many other beneficial properties. There are also many nutrients missing from a vegan diet that would then need to be supplemented if this diet were applied. These nutrients include:

    • zinc
    • iodine
    • vitamin A
    • iron
    • vitamin D
    • vitamin K2
    • coenzyme Q10
    • choline
    • Omega 3
    • vitamin B2
    • vitamin B6
    • vitamin B12

So, while there are some people that may benefit from a vegan diet, unfortunately many of us perform better by adding a small amount of high quality animal protein to our diets. Additionally, in reference to the ethical reasoning for eating a plant-based diet we can best understand this by looking to the Hindu philosophy of Ahimsa - nonharming.

How we can practice Ahimsa in our day to day life has so much to do with feeling healthy, clear, and whole. In order to show up as our best selves, this could mean that we need to incorporate animal products into our diets at certain times of the year in order to maintain balance. His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who probably teaches and lives most in the philosophy of Ahimsa has recently adopted the utilization of meat into his diet. Perhaps the best way to approach Ahimsa is NOT with hard and fast dietary rules, but with the question - “How can I do the least amount of harm?” And, “How can I contribute to care-taking the earth/sustainability with my food choices.”

Our diet is truly at it’s best when we are able to eat food in a way that makes it medicine, and promotes a healthy ecology for us all.

Good Food

Conclusion

For many of us in the health and food world, what we eat can often be so intertwined with how we identify ourselves. This can become especially dangerous when the diet we may identify with is no longer serving us. What I have found to be the most helpful is to avoided extremes, be gentle with yourself when discovering what foods are and aren’t contributing to your overall well-being.

Try to keep in mind that your food should be your medicine. Michael Pollan, a famous journalist and food writer truly said it best, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Everyone is unique and therefore the foods they choose to eat should be unique to their specific needs. Read scientific articles, but be your own scientist. Try an elimination diet to see how certain foods affect you, don’t be too dogmatic, and allow yourself to flow with the fluctuations of life: the seasons, the moons, and your own internal tides that are constantly in flux.

Some other takeaways:

  • If you are feeling overwhelmed, work with a health professional/a food coach to help you determine what diet is best for you.
  • When choosing which grains and legumes to consume it’s always best to choose organic, local, and wild when possible. It’s also important to soak grains & legumes and take care in cooking them properly.
  • Be especially cautious when buying animal products. Make sure what you are choosing is coming from a good source: organic, grass fed, local, or wild-caught when choosing fish.
  • Be kind to yourself, practice surrender in order to listen to what your body may be asking of you.
  • Avoid over criticizing other sister’s food choices. We can never know the path of another. Food is our medicine.
  • No matter what foods you are eating, try to eat with joy and gratitude. Our mental and emotional state has far more sway than we know over our physical state. Happiness and thanksgiving increases your body’s ability to digest anything.

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How to Keep a Healthy Belly During the Holidays

The holiday season is a wonderful time, but let’s face it, it can also be super stressful, physically taxing, and can leave us with that post-holiday belly bloat. Ugh !

There is nothing worse than starting the new year with your digestion in a funk. When you’re not able to digest your food you're not able to digest your life either, and when we can’t digest our life things start to get really gunked up. This can lead to a number of problems like disturbed sleep, mood disorders, hormonal imbalances, adrenal fatigue, weight gain, and many other unwanted winter-time stressors.

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So, how do you create EASE during the holidays?!

Stoke that digestive fire (Agni)! Cultivating strong Agni pre-holiday season will have tremendous benefits during the festive season and the months to follow. In order to keep your Agni strong do what you can to create ease on your digestive system and lower the intake of anything that is more toxic or inflammatory. Another key element for maintaining easeful digestion is eliminating any stressors that may be causing adrenal upset. Your adrenal glands play a huge role in regulating your stress levels. They help to regulate your blood sugar, your blood pressure, help you burn fat and protein, and they also determine how you react to stress.

Here are some helpful tips to eliminate stress and help you prepare a strong digestive fire pre-holiday feasting:

*Mung bean cleanse (pre and/or post holiday) - leading up to the holidays (and also after the holidays) can be a great time to eat a more simplified diet. A kitchari (ayurvedic mung bean) cleanse helps to clear away any excess sludge in the body, it strengthens your digestion, and will leave you feeling light and clear as you go into the family and eating frenzy. It’s also an appropriate cleanse to do during the cooler months because you aren’t depriving yourself of foods, but rather eating enough food that is warm, nourishing, AND cleansing. This is also a perfect cleansing protocol to do at any time of the year, especially for the working woman who needs to be fueled throughout the day!  A mung bean cleanse can help to keep your vata balanced and will give you loads of energy for all the events on your holiday calendar.

*Tulsi-Ginger tea - This is a great tea to help keep you calm while also aiding in digestion. Ayurveda’s “Holy Basil” is an all around beautiful tea to soothe your mind, boost your immunity, and calm your belly. I love the addition of ginger in this tea for the added “debloating” effect that it has. Try using this in between meals while you are out of your normal routine and watch how it creates more stability in your mood and in your tummy.

*Float Tank- This could be a hard one to find, but Float Tank spas are popping up all over the place and if you’re lucky there might just be one located near your holiday destination. A float tank is a sensory deprivation tank that is filled with water and epsom salts. It is meant to be a meditative experience helping to reduce external stimulation and create ease on your neurotransmitters. It can be extremely helpful when we are traveling, out of our normal routine, or if we are just looking for a targeted way to unwind. You could even suggest doing this as a family event! If a float tank isn’t available, try adding some time for some sort of mindfulness and meditation practice. This will help you to stay present and enjoy each moment through the holiday season.

*Take a walk with the family before/after meals- The holidays are all about togetherness, but this doesn’t mean that togetherness always has to happen lounging on the couch. Of course wintertime is a great season for rest, but it’s just as important to expose yourself to the elements and move your body as it is to relax. Doing some form of exercise in the open air to fuel your lungs and stretch your body will keep you from sinking into that holiday slump. It’s also a wonderful way to have more intimate moments with the people you love.

*Try to stay away from dairy- It can be difficult to keep to our healthy eating habits when we travel great distances and visit people that may not have our same dietary needs. Please be gentle with yourself no matter what you’re eating (your mind plays a huge role in your digestion). However, if you can limit the amount of dairy you take in this holiday season it will significantly aide your digestive system. Dairy is often overused ingredient in holiday cooking. Even if you normally do okay with dairy, it is still best avoided during the times when excess Kapha can start to clog up your digestive tract. So, maybe this means you politely pass on the heavy whipped cream and gravy.

Or, take your digestive enzyme and choose the dairy dish that you just can’t pass up! 🙂

*Take it easy on the alcohol- I know that alcohol can sometimes help to ease the tension that may come from stressful holiday gatherings, conversations, or family members you don’t quite tolerate as well, but it’s not always the best choice. When misused alcohol can make you feel worse. It also slows down your metabolism and wrecks your digestive fire. If you do decide to drink try to drink moderately, drink lots of water in between, and maybe try adding in some supplements for additional support. Activated coconut charcoal, vitamin C, and digestive enzymes will help aid in your liver’s ability to detoxify the alcohol. It’s also best if you can try to have your last drink earlier in the evening and the next morning add a dash of celtic salt to your water to help replenish any minerals you might have lost.

*Hack your sleep: Getting plenty of rest is so important for the body’s ability to repair itself. This is crucial during the times when we are overloading our system with different foods. It’s not always easy to sleep outside the comforts of your own bed, but I’ve found that earplugs and a face mask can really help in keeping my sleep consistent. Try using some essential oils like lavender, geranium, frankincense, and cypress to lead you into a more restful state. I love adding these essential oils to a carrier oil like sesame or coconut oil for a little self massage pre-bedtime. My favorite oil to use is the Vata Balancing Massage Oil from Banyan Botanical.

*Bring your non-negotiables with you! For me whenever I travel I have to bring a few essential items that I know will help keep me close to my routine and will also help to keep me sane. These items include my morning beverage (right now it’s matcha green tea with oat milk), triphala for healthy digestion, heavy amounts of leafy greens (a green liver powder works great), and my essential oils for body love! I also find it crucial to bring my stash of supplements. I may look a little cookey on the plane, but if it works, it’s coming with!

Supplements We Love

Triphala - Shakti School insiders get 15% off at Banyan! Use promo code KATIES15

Oil of Oregano (for immunity)

Maca - Chaste Berry - Ashwagandha powder (healthy hormone balance)

Lipotropic Complex (liver support)

Quinton Water (mineral replenish/post drinking remedy)

Digestive Enzymes 

Thorne Brain and Mitochondria support 

Nordic Naturals DHA Algae 

Thorne Vitamin D3 + K2

Kettle & Fire Bone Broth (digestive aid)

 

Oils:

Transdermal Samadhi Roll on Set

Banyan Vata Balancing Oil

Essential Oils: Frankincense, Geranium, Lavender, Cypress, and Eucalyptus.

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The Pumpkin Pie You Want To Eat

The Sugar Timeline, celebratory events, and why we eat more when we’re together
(Recipe included)

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The Holidays can be frustrating when it comes to making healthy food choices.

This should be a special time of year when your energy is centered around celebration, togetherness, and joy and where the focus is to spend quality time with the people you love most. Instead it often includes frustration around food decision making, and the fear of uneasy digestion. On Thanksgiving especially, it's common knowledge that we overeat and typically we overeat sugar.

In North America (and all around the globe) the use of sweets in celebratory events has been a historical tradition. Though the cultivation of sugar dates back to 8,000BC, we see the use of sugar in celebratory event as early as 2,400 BC (!) where there is evidence of beekeeping and the collection honey for honey cakes found at a religious temples near present day Cairo, Egypt. (Hippocrates Health Institute-The Sugar Timeline)

We also see this in the Hindu/Yoga tradition where bringing sweets to the temple as an offering to the God’s is commonly practiced. Traditionally, before industrial sugar cane manufacturing, sweets were more of a luxury item and were considered “Sattvic,” or pure. Of course, this is in reference to sugar in the form of dates and honey which aren’t nearly as taxing on the body as the chemically refined sugar we most commonly use today. As sugar cane evolved into the chemically refined substance that we know all too well now, it became more accessible and affordable and unfortunately we see a direct correlation to the rise of Alzheimer's, diabetes and obesity. Instead of sugar being used a sacred treat, or offering, it became readily available to everyone, all the time, in unnatural states and in absurd quantities.

So, how do we go back to making sugar sacred?

It all comes back to eating whole foods and preparing food at home. For most Americans, having access to healthy ingredients and the time to prepare food at home is a luxury. If we all made an effort to only eat sugar when we could prepare our own sweet treats, it would likely lead to much healthier options (no matter if you’re cooking with white sugar or not). The act of cooking for others truly is sacred and the Thanksgiving holiday is a perfect time to make food that is celebratory, healthy, and sweet. 

What about when it comes to overeating? 

It’s interesting to note that a food study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2013 concluded that people tend to eat more calorically dense food and more volumes of food—depending on the information they’re given about what other people are eating. Similarly, the same study showed that we even synchronize our bites, the same way we subconsciously mirror someone else’s posture or body language, without ever realizing it. Simply becoming aware of this fact is enough to make you think differently and possibly act differently when you sit down at the Thanksgiving table. If you are able to be more aware when you’re eating it not only will help you to make more thoughtful choices about your meal, but it could actually help those you are eating with to make more thoughtful choices about what they are eating as well.

Now, let’s go back to celebrating. 

Now that we’ve established that we all love the occasional sweet treat and we want to celebrate with some sort of sacred sugary dessert,  it’s important to choose something that is still balanced and nourishing, not something that is loaded with white flour & white sugar. This is especially important when you want your energy to be sustained through those long evening chats with cousin Kristie. So, how can we be sure a healthy option shows up to the Thanksgiving table? Bring it yourself!

If you want your family to be blown away, show up to the holiday dinner party with this amazing (and healthy) Pumpkin Pie ! ! !  It’s not going to spike your blood sugar, it’s going to make everyone in the room happy, and eating it might even be a sacred act.

The Pumpkin Pie You Want To Eat

For the Crust:

  • 2 cups pitted dates
  • 2 cups raw nuts (I used half pecans, half walnuts)
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1 tbsp of coconut oil
  • 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • A dash of salt

For the Filling :

  • 2 cans of pumpkin puree
  • ½ cup of cashews (previously soaked)
  • 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
  • 3-5 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon each of nutmeg, ginger and cloves
  • pinch sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Pumkin Pie

Directions:

For the crust: pulse the nuts & coconut flakes in a food processor until they're crumbs, add the dates and the remaining ingredients and process until it begins to stick together. Press into a pie dish and put in the fridge (or freezer) to harden.

For the filling: blend all of the ingredients until smooth, adding however much of the spices you like. Pour into your crust and freeze overnight until it's set. The next day transfer to the fridge to let it thaw out. Take it out of the refrigerator 15-20 min prior to serving.

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*Top with your favorite homemade whipped cream!

(It’s best to use an organic Grass-Fed Heavy whipping cream or you can try this recipe below for a vegan coconut whipped cream).

Vegan Coconut Whipped Cream: 

1 can coconut cream or full fat coconut milk (Cream tends to work better)

3 TBSP of organic powdered sugar (optional)

1 tsp vanilla extract

*Place the can of coconut cream into the refrigerator and leave it there overnight

*The next day, take it out and carefully open it

*Scoop  out only the cream into the bowl of an electric mixer, leaving the coconut water behind.

*Start with a slow speed and gradually increase speed until you achieve a whipped cream consistency

*Once you have whipped cream consistency, Add your powdered sugar and vanilla

*Whisk again until it’s mixed in !

 

Enjoy !

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The Secrets to Healthy Ovulation

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What is ovulation? Why is ovulation important? How do I know if I am ovulating? And, what are the tips for healthy ovulation? 

Ovulation is when an egg is released from the ovaries. The egg is released by a surge of hormones that is regulated by the hypothalamus (located at the base of the brain). So, it’s your brain that is the main decision maker when it comes to keeping your body ovulating. If the hypothalamus is unhappy, scared, or stressed this could be the reason that you’re not ovulating (and in some cases, not having a period).

As women it’s extremely important that we ovulate: ovulating is the only way that we make the ovarian supporting hormones estrogen and progesterone.

E S T R O G E N helps with muscle growth, it helps keeps your bones and brain healthy, and increases the long term health of the entire cardiovascular system. Estrogen aids in producing serotonin, which is why you’re more energetic in the days leading up to ovulation.

P R O G E S T E R O N E reduces inflammation, it keeps your immune system healthy, increases the health of your breast tissue, and your thyroid. These hormones are also responsible for making you feel good, they aid in sleep, rest and recovery, and help in the process of releasing Dopamine, Serotonin, and Oxytocin which are essential chemicals responsible for your happiness!

So, even if you’re not planning on having a baby, you still want to make sure you are ovulating in order to benefit from all the gifts that having a healthy cycle has to offer. And, this process is one that the female body absolutely expects to have in order to maintain optimal wellness.

--- In the women’s health world we talk a lot about “balancing hormones,” but the reality is that if our hormones were always in balance  we wouldn’t have a period, we wouldn’t have that juicy feel-good feeling, be outgoing or energetic, and we wouldn’t ovulate. It is necessary for our hormones to fluctuate because that’s what gives us a flow every month. The key to keeping things 'in balance' is to ensure that progesterone and estrogen are rising and falling at the appropriate time. We can best achieve this through living a healthy lifestyle, eating nourishing meals, managing our stress levels, eating the appropriate foods, and moving our body (preferably outside). These balancing habits are what we discuss in depth in Ayurveda School. But, for now here are some simple tips on how to get your hormones back on track.

Signs you are ovulating: your temperature rises (you'll know this if you're tracking your basal body temperature, which we recommend doing whether or not you're trying to conceive), you are getting a period, you have cervical fluid (cervical fluid is not always a clear sign, but it’s at least always a sign that the body is trying to get back on track).

Ovulation inhibitors: stress, inflammation, thyroid imbalance, being undernourished or underfed (are you eating enough? Are you too low on carb?), PCOS, taking the pill (more on why alternative health experts are calling the Pill chemical castration in part 2 of this series).

Supplements and foods to support healthy ovulation and healthy cycles in general: Check out our products we love page and our store for our recommended supplements in addition to these food sources.

Magnesium - regulates cortisol, improves sleep, activates Vitamin D, slows aging,and  fuels cellular energy, helps with period pain, pms, and PCOS. Sources of Magnesium: leafy greens, pumpkin seeds, almonds, mineral water, and organic dark chocolate (fun fact! Chocolate cravings around the time of your period is actually your body saying “Give me magnesium!”

For more information on Magnesium check out: https://helloclue.com/articles/cycle-a-z/magnesium-and-the-menstrual-cycle

Selenium - good for progesterone production (link pubmed). Sources of Selenium: Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, mushrooms, and seafood

Zinc - reduces inflammation, clears skin, regulates thyroid, blocks excess androgens, regulates stress response. Sources of Zinc: oysters and grass fed red meat (unfortunately, if you are vegan/vegetarian you are probably zinc deficient unless you are already supplementing)

Iodine - regulates thyroid, helps prevent cysts, reduces fibroids, increases progesterone, regulates heavy periods and pms. Sources of Iodine: seaweed, organic wild caught seafood, grass fed butter (but only if they are fed from nutrient dense soil), mushrooms and leafy greens.

Our entire team loves these supplements for optimal health and ovulation success: Trace Minerals, Trace Minerals Electrolytes, and Magnesium Natural Calm

Read Part 2 Here

Learn how to heal yourself
with Ayurveda

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Balancing Vata for Fall

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As we shift into fall we are leaving the Pitta season and entering into the Vata season.

The Vata element is associated with air and ether. It functions as movement and energy, and seasonally it is the time of year when the atmosphere is dry, cool, and rough (windy).

It is easy to see how Vata presents itself if we look at what is happening in nature (especially those of us that live in a four season climate). The cool air begins to dry the leaves making them brittle and rough and eventually they fall. These qualities translate to our own inner climate as well. Often with the rise of Vata our skin can become more dry and rough, our hair and nails more brittle, and it is not uncommon that our digestion and immunity may suffer. The sometimes erratic nature of the Vata element can also make our minds feel more scattered, disrupt our sleep, and even contribute to unwanted mood swings.

So, how do we avoid the usual struggles of fall? 

Balancing Vata can be simple if we are diligent about balancing our system as a whole. This means we have to look to not only our diet but, exercise, self care and lifestyle habits as well.

Diet:

  • Favor more warm or cooked foods
  • Add more healthy fats like ghee, avocado oil, olive oil, and coconut oil to your dishes
  • Spice things up with more warming spices: black pepper, cumin, ginger, mustard seed, cayenne, and cinnamon
  • Eat more tubers! Pumpkin, beets, Sweet potatoes, and all types of other hardy winter squash
  • Drink more warming teas in between meals
  • Make golden mama milk
  • Add soups or stews into your weekly meal routine

Exercise:

  • Walk more and run less
  • Favor resistance training over cardio loading
  • Gentle yoga and meditation

Self Care:

Lifestyle:

  • Wake up and go to bed at the same time every day (vata craves routine for balance)
  • Try not to overdo it with too many social obligations
  • Take more time to pause throughout the day and observe your breath
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The BEST Summer Herb

Amalaki (aka Indian Gooseberry, aka Amla) is COOLING. It’s great for pitta tendency people like me who get overly heated (think menstrual related acne, or loose stool), especially this time of year.

It's one of the fruits in ayurveda's digestive formula Triphala. It's english name is Indian Gooseberry.

But it's also a potent external medicine for hair and skin!! ⠀

You can take amalaki internally. It is a super-well-known rejuvenate as it gently cleanses the colon, beautifies hair and skin and is an all-around tonic for the organs. In India its known as a super-food, youth-enhancer!

It’s also SUPER helpful for blemishes. Scroll down for my summer Amalaki face mask.

➳ You can also use the powders in your smoothies or yogurt. It has a delightful sour taste.

➳ Mix it with coconut oil and use as a hair mask. It makes your hair really shinny and strong. This is so good for pitta hair that’s often very fine and breaks easily. It’s hard to grow out your hair sometimes as a pitta.

➳ Mix it with almond oil to make an anti-aging treatment and soften fine lines. (Amalaki is high in Vit C, which helps build collagen).

➳ Mix Amalaki juice or powder with aloe vera juice for a refreshing facewash.

➳ Banyan Botanicals sources THE BEST amalaki, it’s potent, organic and fair trade. Banyan is supporting farmers in Asia, not just doing business and then peacing out. Use the discount code KATIES15 for 15% of your order.

Try this facemask, it will change your skin routine forever!!!!

Amalaki facemask with honey (& optional parsley)

This is a great mask for blemishes but it may dry out your skin if left for too long, or used during dry months, or during dry skin cycles. Use this in humid environments, in the high summer season or if you have oily skin.⠀

➳ Start by chopping up finely a sprig of washed parsley⠀

➳ Crush it up in a mortar and pestle until the juice is coming out (the bottom of the clean jar on a chopping board can suffice if you don’t have one)⠀

➳ Add 2 teaspoons of Amalaki (Amla) powder and hot water to make a wet paste with the crushed parsley⠀

➳ Add a teaspoon of Manuka honey to the still warm mixture and blend them all together into a paste⠀

➳ The crushed parsley won’t spread consistently but this doesn’t matter as the hot water will have dispersed its compounds into the paste⠀

➳ You want your face mask to be the consistency of yogurt – easy to spread but not too watery/runny.⠀

➳ Apply the paste while it's still warm⠀

➳ Wash your face of any dirt or makeup⠀

➳ Apply the paste to damp, clean skin⠀

➳ Lie down in your room with mask on for 20-30mins⠀

➳ Wash off with warm water and apply your favorite moisturizer!⠀

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