The Shakti School

Feminine Form Sacred Technology

Winter

Shakti Fire Cider

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Here’s your winter immunity boost recipe (and home-made gift idea!) ⁣⁣
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Here’s how to make it:⁣⁣
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~ 1 medium onion, chopped⁣⁣
~ 10 garlic cloves, smashed or roughly chopped⁣⁣
~ 2 jalapeños, sliced⁣⁣
~ 1 organic lemon (grate it and juice it)⁣⁣
~ 1/3 cup grated ginger⁣⁣
~ A bunch (3-4 sprigs) of fresh rosemary (dried is also fine!)⁣⁣
~ 1 T black pepper seeds, crushed⁣⁣
~ 1 T cardamom pods, crushed⁣⁣
~ 2 blood oranges, finely sliced⁣⁣
~ A few of cinnamon sticks⁣⁣
~ 1 T cloves⁣⁣
~ A big dollop of raw, local, honey ⁣⁣
~ Apple cider vinegar⁣⁣
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Add all ingredients to a quart size jar. Cover completely with ACV (push down everything in the jar so that it’s below the ACV). Place a piece of parchment paper between the lid and the jar to prevent any transfer from the lid. Shake daily, storing in a cool place for about a month.⁣⁣
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Then sip daily (you can also add it to your salad dressing or food, but don’t heat because of the honey! 🍯🍯🍯)

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Heart-Opening Winter Elixir

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The holidays can be a season of both feelings of connection and grief. We’ve created this special Shakti School heart opening elixir featuring skullcap, damiana and rose to get you through the waves of beauty, bliss, and pain.⁣
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🌹 Skullcap: Think soothing, stress relief, and relaxation - this nervine is an emotional balance supporter and restores the functioning of the nervous system.⁣
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🌹 Damiana: This aphrodisiac helper pairs well with skullcap for relaxation while also giving a little boost to mood and digestion.⁣
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🌹 Rose: Associated with the heart chakra, rose is said to help heal a broken heart and enhance feelings of self-love and emotional balance.⁣
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Here’s how to make it:⁣

~ 1/4 cup dried skullcap⁣
~ ¼ cup dried damiana⁣
~ 1/4 cup dried rose petal⁣
~ A few cinnamon sticks⁣
~ 1 T gently crushed cardamom pods⁣
~ 1 T gently crushed star anise⁣
~ 1 T gently crushed cloves⁣
~ an orange peel⁣
~ 1/2 c honey⁣
~ Brandy to cover ⁣
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Add all ingredients to a mason jar. Cover completely with brandy (push down everything in the jar so that it’s below the liquid). Place a piece of parchment paper between the lid and the jar to prevent any transfer from the lid or vice versa. Shake daily, storing in a cool place for about a month.⁣
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Enjoy in small servings as a healing tonic for your heart ❤️

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Ojas-Building “Hot Shake”

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We have to clue you in on one of our ultimate Ojas-building aphrodisiac tonics!
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Ojas is our core immunity- our bodies’ ability to renew itself. In the body, it’s related to our reproductive, hormones, and cerebrospinal fluid. ⁣
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It’s also your psychophysical shield, helping us ward off stress and disease (both physically and emotionally). ⁣
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Having strong ojas isn’t just about building it up, it’s also about not losing it. What (and WHO) we pour our creative energy into (if you know what I mean 😉😉) can deplete our ojas especially if we’re not being intentional. ⁣
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But, when we make love with an attitude of complete surrender, and without fear or reservation, Ayurveda says that it can actually BOOST our sense of trust which in turn builds health. ⁣
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Aphrodisiacs can help turn up our passion-pleasure-zest. What we consume also helps build our emotional-physical-resiliency, aka our ojas. That’s where this ojas-boosting love tonic comes in. ⁣
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This warm, spicy-sweet milk is amazing for building ojas, and when combined with these virility-boosting super herbs, it gives our inner lover just the boost we need. Make it for you and your lover before or after your holy lovemaking sesh (or for yourself!)

 

Ojas-Building Hot Shake Ingredients:

Ojas-Building Hot Shake Directions:

  • If you wish, soak the almonds and dates overnight, then drain. (This makes them more digestible, but is not required.)
  • In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a low boil. Add the herbs and spice and whisk.
  • Pour the milk mixture into a blender, add the almonds and dates, and blend on high for 30-60 seconds, until completely smooth.
  • Enjoy with your lover (or inner lover 😉)
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Carrot & Winter Squash Chutney Recipe

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Ingredients: 

  • 1 small delicata squash or any other winter squash (acorn or butternut would work well), seeds removed and chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1/2 cup roasted and unsalted almonds
  • 1 small piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil or ghee
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (hing) - a pinch
  • 1/4 teaspoon ajwain
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground fennel
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon mustard seed
  • Water
  • Salt to taste

Directions:

  1. In a large pan, add the cumin seeds and roast them for a minute or until they become fragrant. Remove and set aside.
  2. In the same pan, melt 1 tablespoon of ghee over medium heat and add chopped squash and carrots. Add 2 tablespoons of water, cover, and cook 25 minutes, or until softened all the way through. Stir occasionally and add water as needed to keep from sticking to the pan.
  3. In a food processor, combine the roasted almonds, ginger, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of water. Blend until you have a coarse paste.
  4. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil or ghee, ¼ cup of water and all the spices (asafoetida, black pepper, ajwain, coriander, fennel, mustard seed and turmeric) to the mixture. Once the carrots and squash are softened, remove from the pan and add to the food processor.
  5. Blend again until everything is well combined. You can adjust the consistency by adding a little water as needed.
  6. Taste the chutney and adjust the salt and seasonings according to your preference. Keep in mind that Ayurveda recommends reducing salt for Vata balancing, so be moderate.
  7. Heat a small amount of ghee in a small pan. Add the roasted cumin seeds to the ghee and let them sizzle for a few seconds. Pour this over the chutney and mix well.
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Pumpkin Blow-Ya’ Mind Smoothie (it’s hot!)

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I love a hot fall smoothie. It has both deeply nourishing elements, and some reducing spices to counteract the heaviness. 

This is my go-to. So easy. So good for the time of the season!

Ingredients:

- 1 cup canned organic pumpkin puree

- 1 cup almond milk (or any milk of your choice)

- 2-3 fresh organic figs, chopped (dried if you can’t find fresh)

- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (adjust to taste)

- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

- A pinch of Himalayan rock salt

- Whipped coconut cream (optional, for garnish)

- Chopped dried figs and a sprinkle of pecans and cinnamon (for garnish)

 

Instructions:

  1. Prepare the Figs: If using dried, start by chopping the dried figs into small pieces. You can use kitchen scissors or a sharp knife.
  2. Heat the Almond Milk: Pour the almond milk into a saucepan and heat it over low-medium heat. Heat until almost boiling.
  3. Blend the Ingredients: In a blender, combine the canned pumpkin puree, hot almond milk, figs, maple syrup, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cloves, and a pinch of salt.
  4. Blend Until Smooth: Blend the mixture until everything is well combined and the smoothie is creamy. Be careful, its hot! I place a towel over the lid for extra safety. 
  5. Serve: Pour the hot pumpkin smoothie into mugs or cups. If desired, top each serving with a dollop of whipped coconut cream, chopped figs, and a sprinkle of cinnamon for added flavor and presentation.
  6. Enjoy: Serve your hot pumpkin smoothie immediately while it's still warm and enjoy the cozy fall flavors!

Feel free to adjust the sweetness by adding more or less maple syrup according to your taste preferences. This hot pumpkin smoothie with fall spices and figs is perfect for warming up on a crisp autumn day or as a comforting treat by the fireplace.

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How to do a Wintertime Cleanse

A Guide to Feeling Healthy After the Holidays

(beetroot pizza recipe included)

How To Winter Cleanse

December brings on many indulgences (eggnog, cheese, pie, the list goes on). It can often make the start of the new year feel like you’re trudging through sludge while your digestive system is trying desperately to get back on track.  As we finish up the holiday season, January is an ideal time to detox, but the fact is it’s still a busy time of year, it’s cold outside, and the long dark days can make the idea of cleansing somewhat unappealing and in most cases untenable. This is why it’s essential that we follow an Ayurvedic approach to cleansing as we move through the winter months.

While most of us don’t live in the appropriate environment to do a super strict cleanse, this specific detox is all about focusing on lots of cooked vegetables, whole grains, legumes, some fruit, and digestive herbal teas while limiting high amounts of animal products, high quantities of oil, salt, processed foods, and sugar. The main objective is to get your digestive system working properly and optimally.

This wintertime cleanse does have some elimination restrictions. Try to limit or eliminate the following:

 coffee, alcohol, gluten, added sugar, processed foods and processed oils.  

Really try to challenge yourself to completely take these foods out of your diet for the month. However, we also recognize that completely eliminating certain foods or favorites doesn’t always work for some people (and can be triggering), so if that’s you try to at least minimize these certain foods. It may be helpful to instead focus on the foods you can enjoy instead of focusing on the foods you can’t have.

Here is a sample menu of what your food intake my look like during this type of cleanse:

Morning Beverage:

If you are feeling like you really need a reboot, try having a cup of hot water with a little ginger and lemon or if you aren’t giving up caffeine completely, enjoy one cup of green tea with oat or nut milk.

Breakfast: 

Warm porridge- cooked (pre-soaked for easier digestion) with warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom. If you want to add fruit or a few nuts make sure to cook them with the oats for easier absorption.

Lunch: 

Cooked Quinoa with turmeric, steamed carrots & spinach, topped with Avocado

Mid-day Ginger Tea 

Dinner: 

Sprouted brown rice with a small amount of ghee and mung bean stew

Post Dinner Beverage: 

Dandelion tea, ginger tea, or Magnesium Calm for additional digestive/stress support.

It can be fun to eat in a new way. Just avoiding using excess oils or animal products can lead you to finding new ways to be more creative in the kitchen. As you can see this cleanse isn’t super restrictive. It just focuses on eating plants and revving up your digestive system. Check out this extremely healthy plant based pizza recipe! You may find that eating clean is easier than you think.

Beet Root Pizza

Canva - Beetroot Dough, Vegetables and Sprouis Pizza, Healthy Fast Food on Slate (1)

Ingredients:

1 head raw cauliflower

2 medium beets (raw & peeled)

¾ cup almond flour

¼ cup coconut flour

4 eggs

1/2 tsp sea salt and black pepper

1 tsp oregano

*You'll also need parchment paper

Directions:

Place cauliflower and beets in a food processor and blend until it turns into a fine rice texture. (You may have to pre-chop the beets a little bit). Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the flour and spices.

Mix well with your hands and then add in the eggs.

Whisk until everything is nice and combined. It may be a little wet, but you should be able to form it into a ball.

Next place on a lined (with parchment paper) baking pan and spread out evenly with your hands.

Bake in the oven at 400°F for 15-20 minutes or until slightly golden and firm.

Remove from the oven and add your desired plant based toppings

Place back into the oven for another 10 minutes and then it'll be ready to enjoy

Need more support?

Download our digital cleanse guide for step by step instructions on how to do an Ayurvedic cleanse. Use the promocode WinterCleanse at checkout for 30% off!

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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 10% off their order with the promo code SHAKTI10)

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

RMS Beauty:

Marie Veronique:

Henné Organics:

Plus these two that we love:

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