Wheatgrass – The Forgotten Superfood (and what about Chlorophyll?)

Remember when wheatgrass was a cool new fad? Before juice cleanses, organic chocolates, and raw food restaurants began popping up all around us, wheatgrass shots were newly available in local cafes. We may have forgotten about these easy healthy shots, but it’s still here, and still good for you!

With a nutrient dense nutritional content, wheatgrass delivers the same goodness in a two ounce shot as about 5 pounds of fruits and veggies. It is higher in Vitamin C than oranges, and contains twice as much Vitamin A as carrots. Not only does it deliver amazing vitamins, including a full range of B complex, but it also boasts a wide range of essential minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium and potassium.

It is a powerful detoxifier, purifying the blood, and cleansing the liver. With all these vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and antioxidants, this simple plant neutralizes environmental pollutants and toxins in the body.

Yes, it tastes just like grass, it is after all a grass, so why should you eat it? I know you are not a rabbit, there is another very good reason. Wheatgrass is very high in chlorophyll. All green plants and veggies contain a very high chlorophyll content.

We have a saying that we tell all of our clients and friends: “If it’s green, it’s clean”

You probably learned at a young age in school that plants create oxygen using the sun’s energy through a process called photosynthesis. This is the base for all life on earth. Everything requires energy from the sun, and all living things require oxygen.

The beauty of green plants and their chlorophyll content, is that chlorophyll contains high amount of oxygen. By consuming these great green gifts from the earth, the chlorophyll delivers these high amounts of oxygen to your blood. This helps to regulate blood flow, increase red blood cell quantities which aid in combatting toxins, waste, and disease, and promotes healthy recovery and self-healing in the body. Oxygen is so important to our bodies. Did you know that the brain uses 25% of your body’s oxygen supply?

We tell our clients that they need three strong building blocks to maintain a healthy lifestyle:

• Oxygenation
• Hydration
• Detoxification

With these three guidelines, everything else is a wonderful extra addition, helping to aid in recovery and maintenance of a healthy body and mind.

So give wheatgrass another ‘shot’ today! Grab some at your local juice bar, or start making your own! It is very easy to do, grows very quickly, and is a sustainable way of getting your healthy juices flowing!

xx
Ashley

Skin Care That Cares Back

We all know about organic food and healthy eating, but what about your beauty routine? When it comes to skin care, what kinds of products do you use?

When we think of health and nutrition, we oftentimes think solely of our food and what we are putting into our bodies. What about what we are putting ON our bodies? Our skin is our largest organ, our face is the window to our soul, and we all want to glow and radiate out our inner light, so why not do it naturally?

I’ve seen a lot of blogs and articles on skin care, revealing the newest greatest products. Something I’ve noticed is the amount of chemicals that a lot of these products contain… If we can’t pronounce it, if we wouldn’t eat it, if we don’t know what it is, why would we put it on our skin? (yikes!)

Another thing to pay attention to when choosing skin care that is right for you, is the company’s ethical standards. Are the products vegan (no animal testing)? Are the ingredients sustainably sourced and organic? Does the company give back to the community? These are all great questions to be asking yourself and of the company you are supporting by purchasing their product.

There are a great number of companies out there boasting ‘organic botanicals’ and ‘all-natural’ ingredients. By now, we should know better than to judge a book by its cover, or a product by it’s front-side advertisement, meant to catch your eye (and your dollar). Read the ingredients on the back carefully, and do your own research. One company in particular that I’ve been absolutely obsessing over lately is the Simply Fair brand. All of their ingredients are derived from organic, whole, natural foods and plant extracts.

Aside from the wonderful ingredients themselves, the company also has a program in which 10% of all sales are allocated to Simply Fair projects. They boast on their bottles:

Each time you use Simply Fair products you are helping communities in West Africa and spreading Yoga across the world.

Companies like this are our future. Each time you purchase a product you are voting with your dollar. By voting for companies using clean and fair standards, others have no choice but to follow suit and do the same. Let’s vote together and give to companies that give back!

You can check out the entire Simply Fair line on their website, and find a retailer near you! Learn more and get involved at: besimplyfair.com

-Ashley

How to practice ‘yoga’ amidst the very non-yoga trend

Pretty much today, unless you are living under a rock, there is a good chance that you have heard of the term yoga. Even more so there is a greater chance that you have spent an hour and a half twisting your body into various shapes and trying to keep your breath calm and focused trying to keep up with some incredibly flexible and well dressed Yogi’s all the while dreaming about the delicious reward that you are going to treat yourself for coming to the class.

Maybe you are one of the very few people that have a dedicated practice. And I say very few, as it seems the traditional practice of Yoga has become lost today amidst a sea of trend, fashion and cool.

As human beings we seem to have a built in nature that draws us to what is “popular” and what everyone else is doing. There is nothing wrong with this, although no true revolutions were started because the “in crowd” tweeted to their million followers to get on board. 

Some Basic Easy Stretches for Those Beginning Yoga

As most of us, I come from a family with a pretty unhealthy background.

Sure, we were active as children and they took us to the beach (as most Californians do), but our elder generations were raised on the boom of TV dinners and packaged processed foods.

Leaving the Competing and Comparing Game Behind

 

 I recently was shared some wonderful insights and reminders from my teacher Bryan Kest about why he spends so much of his energy when he teaches a class reminding people to just be where they are at, and not compare to the other students or where they were at yesterday…

 

Some people say that a yoga teacher shouldn’t talk too much and let the class experience their true bliss and stillness, and I agree, but when we come together as a group to practice we are coming to experience the wisdom and knowledge of the teacher.

And it seems to me in my experience the best knowledge is not advanced information or secret teachings saved for higher souls, but a beginner’s mind.

Yoga and Meditation is for EVERYONE… Seriously!

A lot of people think that yoga is putting your legs behind your head, or being super flexible and spiritual. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

People commonly think that meditation is having to be a buddhist or live in a cave and spend hours finding this unobtainable state of quiet in their minds.

Yoga is…

It’s a big question. What is Yoga? What does the word mean? Can I do yoga? If I am practicing then am I doing yoga the right way, or the right style? How do I know if it’s working?

There are always so many questions that have as many answers, all of which may be right or wrong depending on your perspective or your belief system.

The eastern practice called Yoga has exploded with such a powerful force across Western society over the last 50 years, and especially in the last 5 years has become such a common term, that it would be hard to find anyone who hasn’t heard of it. Yoga has become the McDonald’s of eastern philosophy. Available almost everywhere, but is it good for you.

But do we really understand what yoga is?

 

They say practice makes perfect, but what is perfect, and who are ‘they’?

Over the course of my time here in this life, I have always managed to become marginally better at what I have practiced. Without a doubt.