Digestive Disorder Workshop
NEXT WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11TH at 9:30PM LiveStream on Facebook Live
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Motha Nature’s Sanctuary
In 1999, I endeavored to form an organization offering wholistic wellness education to low-income mothers. I was already teaching women empowering self-care practices, parenting and homemaking skills. With the organization I dreamt of, we would teach them even more: natural birthing techniques, parenting methods, nutrition, cooking, massage therapy, yoga, floral arrangement, decorating, hospitality, money management, making HempTherapy products, etc...
Although the formation of that organization did not transpire, I continued to facilitate wellness workshops, utilizing my own funds, and soliciting help from friends to teach classes in areas I didn’t cover (like finance). Working with those mothers was truly a joy. My desire to create an organization, enabling me to do that work full-time, grew stronger and stronger. Even though I tucked the vision away for future fulfillment, it kept popping up! The once small vision expanded into a pretty BIG picture. Eventually, it morphed into what I’ve been calling Motha Nature’s Sanctuary. This is what it looks like:
An open space, sitting on 400-acres of land, tucked deep into the woods with many brooks, streams, and creeks of running water. Motha Nature’s Sanctuary operates as an organic farm and farm store; a rental space for hosting events; a natural retreat with guest cottages; a wholistic education facility; and, an elementary school. It’s also a place where young families live rent-free, while learning valuable life skills, as part of a 5-7 year residency and certification program. They work on the farm and at the other facilities on the property. In this sacred space, parents are afforded the priceless opportunity to live, learn, and work inside a nurturing community that prepares them and their children to go out into the world to do great things!
I attended Farm Business School in 2013, wrote a 5-Year Business Plan, and projected the opening of Motha Nature’s Sanct
uary for 2018. IT’S 2018 NOW! The sanctuary is not yet a physical place, but … IT WILL BE. … Really Soon! …..
For Now .. Motha Nature’s Sanctuary ..
Is An Online Healing Community 
LET THE HEALING BEGIN!!!
Friday Food Fun~ Provisions: Ground Food & Fruits
Happy Friday Food Fun Day!! {I know, that’s corny, but I’ll be sharing recipes with you on Fridays.}
So, I’ve developed a routine over my many years of being Vegan {when I became Vegan}. During Fall and Winter, I try to continue my Summer routine of sticking to as much fresh food as possible. Although I do indulge in pasta, rice, and other grain dishes, I do my best to keep it at a minimum {you know, starches end up converting to harmful sugars that lead to diabetes, etc..}.
Here are some, often overlooked, substantive produce items that may serve as main dishes; replacing those starches and grains. By the way, these fruits and veggies are nutritious, delicious, and filling!
I’m talking about what’s commonly referred to in *the Caribbean as “ground food” or “provisions”. These are root vegetables and tubers, like: dasheens, eddoes, yucca, cassava, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and yams. Ground food is high in mineral content, calcium, and other bone-building nutrients. To learn the difference between sweet potato & yam {from one of my old blogs}.
Plantain, green banana, and breadfruit are usually cooked along with provisions- adding vitamins that pair well with the minerals found in said ground food. {Plantain and banana grow as plants. Breadfruit comes from a tree. These are not ground foods, btw}.
Ground fruits {a term I made up- I think!} are what I’m calling yummy squashes, of limitless varieties. They grow on vines in patches on the ground. Some of these are butternut, acorn, pumpkin, dumpling, hubbard, delicata, and kabocha. These fruits {and most ground food} are excellent starter foods for babies, as they’re high in Vitamins A, D, K, {yes, D & K!}, and various minerals. Roots and ground fruits are formative/building- block foods. Uncut/opened, all of them can be stored in a mildly cool space outside the fridge or in a drawer inside the fridge. They’ll last for 3-8 weeks, or more.
Provisions and ground fruits may be roasted, stewed, and boiled {even fried, if you must!}. Prepare them to stand alone as a main dish, a soup, or combine them in mains, soups, or stews. Roasting is my preference; except for green bananas, which I always boil and add coconut milk, evoo and/or coconut oil, and spices {sometimes I fry them}.
For a well-balanced meal, make a plate of provisions, ground fruit, sautéed or steamed greens, and a fresh salad! Try this for a week’s worth of meals. You’ll notice how fit and energetic you’ll feel.
*You’ll notice that I reference “the Caribbean” a lot. That’s because one of my parents is from a Caribbean island, I used to live there, I practiced a RasTafarI way of life, and sometimes I speak RasTafarI. Anywho, enjoy your provisions!! 😉
Wednesday Wellness Wisdom~ On Self Care
This post is livicated to my Lovely Sister-Friend, LaDorn Browne. On Sunday, 17 September 2017, she vacated her physical form to go who knows where and do who knows what. Her husband and 3 children remain.
She lived on my block. She had asthma. I offered to help. She told me she was good, she knew how to manage it. She passed away. It was shocking. It was quick. We had plans. I Love her dearly. Our friendship altered me, opened me, challenged me. I Am forever changed. I must be better now.
How can we be well when we do not honor our feelings? When we do not take care to better care for ourselves? What’s the point of wellness, anyway?
Wellness is a wholistic state of being, self care in practice– encompassing spiritual, emotional, psychological, mental, and physical wellbeing. It seeps into our relationships with family, friends, lovers, colleagues, as well as our daily social interactions with everyone we encounter. Self-care is as much about our thought processes as it is reflected in our physical behaviors.
Life consistently asks us to bring wellness into those bound-to-happen undesirable circumstances and situations we often face. In the midst of those challenges, we find ourselves experiencing growth, becoming better, gaining more of what we want, and extending ourselves. But, how do meet those challenges? How do we rise above them? What tools do we already have? How do we acquire more?
I offer the following principles from my new book, Optimism Manifesto [OM], as tools for self-care. Optimism requires a constant shifting of perception and disciplined self-care practices. It’s serious work! Here’s an extremely brief description of my 4 Pillars Of Optimism:
Acceptance- Acceptance is neutral, without judgment. Accept yourself, your situation, and your role in creating that which you experience. That’s it.
Awareness- Make moments for mindfulness throughout the day. Take an objective look at your thoughts and their patterns. Realize the power you have to choose the thoughts you want and to dismiss all others. Arm yourself with awareness by purposely putting power into your thought patterns, right where it belongs.
Attention- Do something about how you feel. Use your awareness to focus full attention on those things that matter most, right now. You’ll make huge progress accomplishing small tasks one by one.
Surrender- What goes around, comes around, right? Just Be. Acknowledge that you have done all that you can do. Let it go. Relax into wherever you are in the process. Surrender to the flow- the current’s gonna take it anyway!
More Self~Care Strategies to Practice!!:
- BIG UP/LOVE UP Ya’Self!!- This is of UTMOST importance. Don’t war with you. Life will rough you up enough. Be kind and gentle with you. Lift YourSelf Up at all times, regardless of your circumstances.
- Trust Your Feelings– “Who feels it, knows it” {Caribbean phrase}. Your feelings are your intuitive voice. Feelings are the language of Higher Consciousness. So, whatever you’re feeling is an indication of your deeper knowing; on the level of All That Is ß Trust That!
- Honor Your Feelings– Allow yourself to feel whatever you’re feeling. Smile when you’re happy, bawl when you’re distraught, laugh in joy, cry in sadness.
- Be Open- Welcome possibilities. Be open to shifting your perspective, changing up your routine, letting go of old habits that no longer work.
- Decide~ Decide that your wellbeing matters most of all. Decide to put that above all else.
- Do Better~ Little by little, take small action steps. Do something for your wellness every day. You’ll begin to make changes. Eventually, you will transform things and be transformed.
- Give Thanks~ At the end of the day, be GrateFull! Give Thanks for it all, great and small. Appreciate your life and all that comes. This brings satisfaction. Give thanks for all that you have accomplished.
- Be Encouraged~ You Are Loved. You Are Worthy. You Are Enough. “Practice and all is coming.” {Yogic Teaching}
**I pray that you receive this in Love, put a smile on your face, lighten your heart, and go forth Inspired**
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PreOrder “Optimism Manifesto [OM]” ~ My First Book!
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Optimism Manifesto [OM] is a deeply personal description of some unsavory parts of my life. It’s the result of the many, many hours I religiously devoted to sustaining and repeating damaging thought patterns, sorrowful self-sabotage, and deliberate acts of unconsciousness. OM tells my story from inside the trials and the triumphs. Time and again, I went way down in the depths- the bottom of the bottom- facing my fears, burning them in the fire, and courageously walking through. Each time I crossed over to the other side, I was renewed and recharged with so much to share.
Despite my desire for a beautiful, joyful life, I constantly put myself through some really uncool stuff. Through it all, though, I Chose Optimism! This doesn’t mean that I pretended things were great and ignored the physical circumstances I was in. It’s just that t was determined not to allow that pain to alter my positive outlook on life. I didn’t want that negativity to effect the way I viewed myself or how I interacted with those around me. How I avoided this, even in the moments when I was in the depths of a difficult situation, is that I employed my optimism practice as a momentary meditation. I consistently practiced mindfulness all day long, bringing all my awareness into opening myself up so I could receive the gifts I would have otherwise missed had I been blinded by anger, doubt, or fear. I began to see, with clarity, that everything around me was indeed a gift meant specifically for me in the very moment I activated my full attention. As my practice developed, one-by-one right before my eyes, miracles started taking place. The manifestations were sometimes instantaneous, it was apparent that they were purposely placed, solely for my amusement. There is no way to fully express the perfect pleasure and power I feel from bearing witness to my manifestations, day after day. It’s kind of like I’m walking around with a magic wand. Better- it’s like having an orgasm! That’s the power of optimism. That’s what I want to share with you.
Since this is a manifesto, I also explain my optimism philosophy- providing principles, practical exercises, and proposing ways for you to incorporate this powerful practice into your daily life. Optimism empowers us to be victors, rather than victims. If you choose optimism, you will be powerfully impacted in ways you could not have previously conceived.
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GIFT Your Child With WELLNESS CAMP!
For This Enlightening Self-Development Adventure called Wellness Camp!!
* $75 DEPOSIT DUE TOMORROW {11.18.16}*
Wellness Camp takes place during the week of Mid-Winter Break: February 20-24, 9am-5pm.
Activities and instruction incorporate affirmative thinking; introspection through meditation and creative writing; encouragement through teamwork; preparation of healthful whole meals and nutritious smoothies; a variety of craft projects; daily adventure walks; and, much more!! We also provide healthy, organic Vegan meals and snacks daily {sourced locally when possible}.
By the close of our time together, each child will:
- Gain a valuable sense of self-worth and self-awareness;
- Walk away with a treasure chest of self-development tools and techniques;
- Vow to be better and do more each day with what they’ve learned
- Begin to share what they know with family and friends
Wellness Camp was created with this in mind- a healthier future for our children’s children.
Children’s Wellness Workshop NYC: Saturday, NOV 5TH
WANT HEALTHIER CHILDREN?
You And Your Family Can Participate In A Hands-On Wellness Workshop, November 5th 10am-2pm.
Parents and Caregivers will learn how to create aromatherapy and herbal wellness kits, while children attend an art workshop. Vegan refreshments will be provided.
Motha Nature
Aromatherapist, Herbalist, Nutritionist, Breastfeeding Consultant, Master Healing Guide, Farmers’ Market Director, Vegan Culinary Creative
Motha Nature will share information and tools from her 20+ years experience supporting individuals and families with improving their health. Over the years, she has assisted with two childbirths; counseled hundreds of breastfeeding mothers; planned and prepared countless healthy meals; and, helped numerous people, of varying ages, heal themselves of many conditions: acne, asthma, eczema, diabetes, kidney failure, other internal ailments, autoimmune diseases, and more. As a mother of three brilliant, healthy, vegan children: ages 21, 12, and 9 {2 home births!}, she also has over 11 years homeschooling experience.
In this workshop, Motha Nature will show you how to create wholistic wellness kits to address your child’s specific health concerns. You will learn how to help your children take better care of their own health, and ways to support them with their overall wellness.
