Health and Wellness with Allison

Navaratri Celebrating the Goddess October 13 - 21 Navaratri is a Hindu celebration of Devi, Goddess, or "Shakti" the Divine Feminine Energy.  During the 9 nights, three main Goddess forms are worshiped: Durga, Lakshmi, and Sarasvati. October 13 - 15 3 nights for DURGA Durga is the most common, and one of the most fierce forms of Devi or "Shakti" the female energy. She is known as both the preserver and destroyer of life. Durga is depicted as a beautiful yellow woman with ten arms who rides on a tiger. Durga was created out of the flames from the mouths of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva and born to kill! Kill demons that is. She was sought after by many different gods to kill demons. She was armed by special weapons from the gods to do battle. One of her most famous victories was over Mahisha, the buffalo demon, who wanted to drive the gods out of the celestial kingdom. Call on Durga Maa to "kill" your demons; to release all that...

Full Moon & Gratitude My favorite Full Moon Ritual is a Gratitude Practice. I take a few deep breaths, light a candle, pause, and reflect on what am I grateful for. I say my gratitudes out loud to really feel the words in my body. I finish with a silent meditation.  I love this ritual because it is simple yet profound. I enjoy this gratitude practice because it gives me time – time “I don’t have” and time “I need” – to give thanks. I fill-up with gratitude by remembering all the people that I love and all the experiences that enrich my life. I envision myself shining brightly like the full moon in the night sky.  With this practice,  I can find gratitude for every experience. This Full Moon I am grateful for my meditation practice because it  helped me to stay calm and have faith during the most painful and terrifying experience of my life.  On a warm afternoon day, I was hiking in the desert mountains of East San Diego C...

Bound Lotus Kriya: A Personal Journey of Love, Forgiveness and Surrender Written for the Spirit Voyage Blog “Who has never seen the Bound Lotus posture?” Asked Mahan Kirn to the room of yogis. “Me,” I thought as I raised my hand. The only image I could think of was that of the classic yogi sitting in padhmasana (full lotus pose) meditating under a Bodhi Tree. I decided to attend the Maha Bound Lotus workshop at Sat Nam Fest on impulse like many things in life. I had no idea what would unfold from this practice, all I knew was that I had to show up! I was one of the few yogis who had never seen or practiced the Bound Lotus Kriya. “Well if you knew what you were getting into, you probably wouldn’t have come,” Mahan Kirn smiled knowingly. “Yes, very true,” I thought. Actually, if I had known how Sat Nam Fest would change the course of my life or of the pain and trauma that I would re-live in the Bound Lotus Kriya, I would have never arrived to the festival or the class...

The Power of Mantra: Remembering How to Love Tuning - In at Sat Nam Fest West The first time I “tuned in” was with almost 1,000 people at Sat Nam Fest West in Joshua Tree, California. I arrived to Sat Nam Fest alone. I had no idea what Kundalini Yoga was and I didn’t know anyone at the festival. I signed up to volunteer & drove from San Francisco on a gut feeling. I didn’t think about what I was doing, I just knew I had to go.  On the first day of the festival, hundreds of people filed in to the main tent. Yogis, adorned in white, rolled out their yoga mats and place their sheep skins down. I had never seen anything like this before - hundreds of people gathered under one roof ready to practice kundalini yoga together - and was in complete awe of scene in front of me. Like a hive of bees, the yogis created a buzz of excited chatter. The teacher walked on stage and her presence cut through the air of anticipation like a hot knife through butter. Without any hesitatio...

Full Moon in Scorpio Moon Magic in Beltane May 3, 2015 A poem inspired from the gratitude I have for the women in my life.  May we always Remember who we truly are. Thank You for the love that you give, for your love brings new life on Earth.  As you share your love,  you light up this world like stars that illuminate the night sky. Your love is our greatest resource. It can travel farther than an Eagle can soar,  and beyond the depths to the Earth’s molten core, Your love is Infinite, Expansive, and Limitless. You are a Goddess in all her glory,  and a human with all her flaws, Perfectly imperfect. It is not easy being the greatest gift to the world,  but you were not born to live an ordinary life.  You are here to live a life that is extra-ordinary, a life to say “Yes!” to, and a life that you love to live and live to love! So in the times when you feel overwhelmed, when there are too many ...

Mercury in Retrograde (October 4 - 25) Mercury is known as the Rule of Communication . It’s symbol is formed by the circle of Spirit resting between the crescent of Soul and the cross of Matter. Mercury's symbol shows that woman can creatively express herself by understanding how to unite and integrate Spirit, Soul and Matter in to her life. Her ability to express herself depends on her perception , which is also under Mercury's domain. Mercury is used to experience the Soul, express the Spirit, and fulfill one's body. Each person is different with his or her perception and creative expression. How do you see the world? With a Soulful lens, in which you see the Divine Essence in all things? From the Spirit, where you see shapes, colors, lights? Or from the body where you see the world as physical or material? Every individual is able to see the world from all of 3 of these perspectives, but many choose ...

Life Lessons from the Waxing Moon First Quarter to Full Moon are the Waxing phases of the Moon. Light covers more than have of the surface of the Moon and increases steadily during this time. Have you ever noticed that the moon seems to get full fast during this time? This phase of the moon represents the personality of the ego. During this phases of the Moon, you may feel like "blocked" or "stuck" because you are up against an obstacle(s) in life. The Moon represents the subconscious and gives us an opportunity to see what is hidden in our shadow. The experience of facing an obstacle is amplified right now by Pluto in Direct  (a time when our unseen desires surface) and with the recent change of seasons to Fall (the Autumn Equinox is known in esoteric circles as the Great Death a time when our fears are brought to light and we have to Let Go of old ways that no longer serve us). Both happenings dig up "stuff" from depths of our soul so we have a l...

When Pluto was in retrograde (April 14 - September 21), transformational energies were working behind the scenes. But now, Pluto has moved in to direct (as of September 22) and our deep desires and hidden secrets are revealed to us . This is an auspicious time for personal transformation . Pluto helps us to see our need for change rather than being forced into the process by others. We encouraged to honestly ask ourselves: What in my life needs to change? And we are empowered to surrender, not to give up, but to Let Go of the old ways of doing things . Pluto represents the underworld and makes us confront our fears and the dark (not necessarily bad) side of ourselves. Sometimes what we fear the most can be our best medicine; so allow the Truth to surface! See your relationships (to people, money, and time) in a new light. Ask yourself: What relationships serve me, and which ones do not? Pluto can help you reclaim your personal power. Pluto represents Inner Earth - th...

The New Moon is an auspicious time for purification. My personal ritual practice around the New Moon is to set an intention to Let Go of habits, behaviors, thoughts that no longer serve my higher purpose to create more space within me for my Higher Self/Spirit/Creator to shine brighter and take up more space in my life. For this New Moon, I created salt scrubs to symbolize the physical purification of this intention.   The New Moon is also a great time to start a project. I made an herbal body oil for emotional balance. The oil (made with dried and ground artemisia, white sage, rosemary, olive oil and love!) will sit on my windowsill for one week. The oil will soak up the sun and moon energy for healing and will be opened with the First Quarter Moon.  Salt Scrubs salt scrubs are very easy to make! you will need body salt (i recommend Dead Sea salt) and essential oil (I used Child of Eternity essential oil - a combination of 7 plants: artemisia, whi...

Mugwort ( artemisia douglasiana) guides a person in healing through their dreams. This Dream Sage herb relieves stress, depression and insomnia, curbs overeating, balances chemicals in the body, and enhances dreams. Mugwort is a powerful herb. It takes time to build a relationship with this plant and to understand its medicine. There are two ways that I take mugwort:  Burning some of the mugwort or Drinking a tea of mugwort with cinnamon. I find that the smoke affects my dreams more, and the tea makes me feel more relaxed. When I use mugwort to influence my dreams, I ask the plant a question before I light the bundle. Asking the plant a question before I go to bed, sets my intention and helps me to better understand my dream in the morning. When I burn mugwort, my dreams are very vivid, somewhat dark, and I wake up tired. (Drinking the tea calms my mind and relaxes my body and affects my dreams but in a subtler way). Mugwort helps me to heal through dreaming. The plant'...

My appreciation for Basil has grown to the next level! As an apprentice with Lucky Six Farms , I am learning how to work with plants and experiencing their healing properties (aromatherapy). And I have recently graduated to distilling herbs for hydrosol and essential oil - yay! This past week I helped distill artemisia californica (sage brush) and basil.  I am using  Basil hydrosol to alleviate my back pain and Basil essential oil to relax the very tight muscles in my jaw.   Before I explain the benefits of Basil hydrosol and essential oil and how to use it, let me tell you what hydrosol and essential oil is.  Hydrosol is "flower water." Hydrosol is extracted from all of the water soluable constituents in the botanical material (flowers and leaves). Hydrosol is much less concentrated than essential oil but has a variety of complex plant components that are never found in essential oil.   Hydrosols are great to use in baths, as facial to...

artemisia californica (california sage brush) is a plant for healing.  The Chumash used artemisia as medicine and in sacred ceremonies. The plant is native to Southern California and Mexico but is also found in Northern California along the coast. I first met artemisia while on a school assignment: I was to find a plant and talk with it. I actually found this amazing plant by walking straight into it! I expected to be scratched by doing so, but instead, was welcomed by a sweet minty smell and gentle embrace. A bush of  artemisia appears dry, but in fact the plant is very soft. I wrote later in my paper that I felt I had (re)met an old friend :) Yesterday was my first experience distilling artemisa with Master Medicine Woman Monica ;) from Lucky Six Farms , and I am so happy with the results! The essential oil and hydrosol capture the plant's healing properties and both are perfect additions to your aromatherapy collection. artemisia californica can help ...

Basil has been used for centuries by many different cultures to ward of evil spirits, attract mates, and to heal migraines and chest infections. The word basil is derived from "basileum," the Greek name for king. And with its popularity in food dishes and many health benefits, Basil does reign!    You can use this herb in a variety of ways. You can eat the leaves, make a basil tea, use the leaves in a bath, or apply basil essential oil on the body.  The Benefits of Basil: Alleviates migraines and colds . Basil can help with throat and lung infections like bronchitis. Fights mental fatigue. Basil strengthens the mind and heart and improves memory and sharpens the mind. Anti-Depressent. Basil's uplifting aroma helps bring clarity to a confused mental state and lift one out of a depressed mood. The plant helps relieve anxiety and stress.  Relaxes muscles . Basil is anti-inflammartory, soothes the nervous system, and helps cal...

Meditation and Breath Work for Grounding Growing your Roots Meditation To begin, sit comfortably in a seated position. You can sit on the floor cross legged, on a pillow, or in a chair with your feet flat on the ground. Sit comfortably and tall with a straight spine. Allow your hands to relax on your knees or in your lap. The first part of the meditation is the Breath Work (Pranayama) a 4-4-4 breathing exercises. Inhale for a count of 4. Relax the belly and breath slowly and deeply from the pelvic floor, filling the belly and chest. Hold the breath for a count of 4. Notice the "in-between" state of the breath. Then slowly exhale for a count of 4 . As the chest falls, relax the shoulders. At the end of the exhale, draw the navel in towards the spine to push out (gently) the stale air in your body. Once then cycle is done, take a normal breath. Start the 4-4-4 breath count again and continue for 5 minutes. After you have completed the breath work, and feel more rela...

Mint's refreshing fragrance and delicious taste makes this plant a popular herb to cook.  It is also revered as one of the best healing herbs.      The two main kinds of Mint used in cooking are Spearmint (photo) and Peppermint. Peppermint contains the chemical menthol which affects the nerve endings in our mouth and gives us that cooling sensation. I have also found that Spearmint, although it does not have that chemical, also has a cooling affect on the body. Mint can provide you with relief from the heat this summer!  Add a couple of leaves to your glass of water or a handful to a pitcher to enjoy the mint flavor. Make a hot tea with the leaves and then combine the hot tea with cold water in a pitcher to make a refreshing iced tea.     Or try combining the mint leaves with a few slices of cucumber together for a deliciously reviving flavored water! Mint heals the body!   Spearmint is a digestive aide, inc...