When a Life Sting is Sliced

When a life string is sliced;
plucked from the connection between your body and heart,
it creates a dangling feeling that can make you want to restring it back together quick.
Stay still and dangle a bit.
The plucking was sent for good reason.
Don’t be too eager to restring back up to something that does not serve your health or your heart.
Wait with the open space,
Cultivate faith,
Acknowledge lessons sent from the Universe.
The restringing will take time and your intentional cultivation.

When we have a sudden unexpected change in life, it can be a challenge to go with this change and accept the new path that has been painted. We tend to want to grab onto the old and/or grab onto something new; anything that will heal the pain and fill the void that has been opened.

Try to let your feelings about this transition arise. Acknowledge them, let them out and stay with the open space that was created from this transition. It’s important to wait and meditate on the lessons learned from this loss. It’s important to allow for the new to slowly arise in the now open space. Stay open to the new opportunities and connections coming your way. You may need to take some time to re-evaluate your personal values and beliefs. Spend some time doing the things that ground you so you can make your next steps with a “rooted” self. Stay true to your own values and needs as you allow this space to be occupied with something that feeds your soul. This can take time and leaving the space open can be a challenge but it’s certainly worth it when you find something that feeds your mind, body and soul. Only restring when your heart, body and soul tell you that this string will serve you and others well.

Well Wishes,

Rooted Living Liz

Alcohol is Bad for Me and My Family!

In my journey towards wellness, I've had many challenging decisions to make regarding what I choose to allow into my body. One of my more recent decisions centered around the consumption of alcohol. I've come to realize that consuming alcohol really has nothing positive to offer to my mind, body, and soul. On the contrary, it acts as a poison to all of these levels of my being. During my battle with cancer and pain over the past couple of years, I have turned inward to find out what emotional components of my being needed healing. I slowly discovered that when I felt the "need" for a drink, it also meant that I was in need of escape from something. I began to observe when this urge would occur and I wrote down who was present, what I was doing and any feelings that I was attempting to escape. Sticking to this plan and remaining alcohol free helped me to discover some unhealed emotional wounds. It also helped me to discover that alcohol only "helped" me to continue with obligations and commitments to others that were not serving my authentic self.

It's taken a long time to realize that alcohol simply does not work well with me. I'm pretty sure I have fit every style drinker known; from the Social drinker to the drunkard to the DD and everything in between. Alcohol consumption is a personal choice and I am happy to say that my last sip of alcohol was on July 7th, 2012 and I plan to keep it that way! It's been a long battle to figure out if I can have it in moderation or if I should just cut it out completely. I can never say if I will drink again, but for now, my mind, body and soul simply say it's a poison to my overall well-being. I haven't had the urge to drink, even when the guy at the table next to me offers me some free cold sake!

There are so many compounding factors that make it important for me to be alcohol free. Besides the obvious delicate state of my health, my family is littered with alcoholics on both sides of my family. My father and mother are recovering alcoholics amongst many others in my family. It seems we are just not built to handle it. If alcoholism does run in your family, I would invite you to consider your own alcohol consumption. You may be able to "moderate it" but I would invite you to take some time to observe how it actually "serves" you.

From my own observations, this is how alcohol was "serving me":

1) Lowered my immune function.
2) Reduced social anxiety.
3) Provided poor boundaries with friends, family and others.
4) Took my time away from more important and creative projects.
5) Made me act on a more primal and physically self-serving level.
6) Contributed to my forgetfulness.
7) Took away my ability to be truly present with others.
8) Took away my authenticity.
9) Created a sense of false freedom.
10) Contributed to feelings of regret.
11) Steered me down ungrounded paths

Drinking alcohol is a personal choice and one that I thoroughly respect for everyone. I just hope that each person takes the time to see how well or not well it works for their mind, body and soul.I realize that I have a good life and I don't need to escape from it or create the illusion that it will be "enhanced" by using alcohol.

Thanks for stopping in folks!

Rooted Living Liz ;-)

Going For a Run?

As I was lacing up my sneakers to take my dog for a walk, someone asked me, "are you going for a run?". I quickly responded with a bit of laughter and then I said, "I wish, I am just hoping I can make it through the old loop at the park".

It's been about 2 1/2 weeks since my surgery and I am slowly recovering my mind, body, and soul. I have been told many times how great I look, however the insides of me continue to require tender loving care for proper repair. I am not able to go for a run or go to work. I may look good, and mentally I feel much better than I have in years, yet repair for good health remains.

Taking good care of yourself during times of illness and recovery involves a great awareness and continued acknowledgement that just because you may "look good", it does not mean your healing is done. It's important for all of those healing from any kind of injury and/or illness that you must look within to determine what you are ready for and when. Listen to what your body tells you and honor it fully. Do not push yourself to do too much just because others may think you are ready. At the same time, do not hold yourself back because you are afraid to move forward towards health. It's a delicate dance and one that I certainly have gained much practice with over the past couple of years.

The key to carefully working this delicate dance has been to accept exactly where I am now. When I was walking in the park today, I saw many runners and I thought about how wonderful it would be to simply run again. However, this thought did not come with attachment to sorrow or jealously, as it had in the past. Instead, I was able to take a moment and be grateful for the illnesses and injuries I have incurred over the past couple of years. I have accepted the pace of life that I am meant to live at this time. While in the park, my pace was slow and joyous. It allowed me to feel the gentle breeze from birds flying up above. It allows me to take the time to stop as I please and take a beautiful photo. For I know if I had been running in the park, I would not have been able to experience these things.

Wherever you are in your life now, I invite you to listen to the pace of life that is being offered to you. Accept the pace of life that you know will serve your health and well-being now. Do not pay attention so much to "how you look" and do pay attention to "how you feel" to determine this pace. You may find that if you can agree to this intuitive pace during this time, this season of your life, you will melt away your tension and bring more joy into your life.

Love,
Rooted Living Liz

13 Low Back Pain Healing Tips

13 Pain Relieving Tips for Your Low Back Pain,

Of course you will always want to consult a trusted physician to assist you with diagnosing and treating your medical concerns.

1) Take action right away! When pain presents itself, you may take a moment to acknowledge its presence, however, like many people, we all to often dismiss the pain, hoping it will magically disappear on its own! You can take medication to mask or dull the pain, however, this will not address the root of the issue. Do not delay when you experience back pain, this will only lead to a larger and deeper issue down the road.

2) Rest, Relax, De-stress: Back pain often arises out of overuse, improper posture, pulled muscles and tension. Take the time to relax your body. When you are stressed, your body naturally tenses up. You must take the time to de-stress so your body and back can release.

3) Get a Massage: Who doesn’t want a massage? Getting a massage will help release the tension and work through any issues related to muscle strain as well.

4) Hydrate- Drink at least 6-8 glasses of H20 each day. Much more is needed for low back pain. The stress you have in your body needs all the help it can get to release and relax. Getting the proper hydration will aid significantly in your bodies ability to repair.

5) Light stretching- You want to be careful not to aggravate your injury, yet you also want to avoid becoming stiff and off center because you are overcompensating with other parts of your body. Be weary of doing more structured intense exercise such as Yoga when you have a back injury. Don’t get me wrong, I love yoga, but when you have an injury to the back you need to stretch lightly and at your own pace. Yoga can be gentle but it can also cause too much strain when you core is weakened.

6) Avoid Prolong Stagnant Postures and Don’t Slouch: Do you work in a cubicle at a desk all day? Staying in prolonged seated postured causes added stress to your lower back. You simply are squishing your vertebrae together for long periods of time and this is simply an unnatural way for your body to rest. Make sure to stand up and stretch, walk away from your desk. When you have back pain, be sure to stand and change your posture at least every 15-20 min. Also, keep your posture in check, are you slouching? Weak stomach muscles contribute to poor posture, and poor posture contributes to a bad back. Use your stomach muscles to sit up straight!

7) Walk: I know I said you have to relax and rest but you do also have to keep moving. Light exercise, such as walking or swimming are safe ways to keep your body in shape and moving towards a stronger self. Too much rest for your back can cause weakness to occur, which can make it more time consuming to recover.

8) Listen to your body and pay attention: If an activity or movement causes you pain, pay attention and even write it down if you can. You will want to avoid doing this activity and you will also want to note where and when you feel the pain so the doctor can accurately assist you in identifying the potential root cause and issue. Furthermore, rest when you body tells you to and move when you feel too much stagnation. If you need to take a day off from work to properly heal your back, DO IT! You will heal quicker and you will be more efficient and effective in your future workdays to come.

9) Anti-inflammatory Foods and herbs: When your body is in pain and attempting to repair an injury, you will have increased inflammation in the body, which tends to contribute to more pain. Incorporate anti-inflammatory foods and spices into your diet so you can feel better naturally. One of my tasty favorites is the spice, “Turmeric”.

Check out this link for a list of the top 10 anti-inflammatory foods: http://theconsciouslife.com/top-10-anti-inflammatory-foods.htm

10) Address the Emotional and Spiritual Connection: Many theorists, such as Louise Hay and Dr. Carolyn Myss discuss the link between physical injuries and emotional issues. For example, these theorists as well as myself, believe that low back pain represents issues related to a lack of support and/or an unreliable support system. Low back pain specifically can represent a fear of money and/or a lack of financial support. This area relates strongly to your second chakra. This chakra involves quite a bit of energy on relationships. If you are having persistent low back pain, take some time to look at the quality of your relationships; including your relationship with yourself. The greatest fear in this chakra is the fear of losing control. You may need to face this fear in order to alleviate some pain. The greatest strength in this area is your ability to be resilient, recover from loss and re-establish good working supportive relationships.

11) Guided Meditation: You can use your mind and positive energy to heal your body. When you experience pain, you may want to attach yourself to that pain. When you attach to the idea of pain, your pain will become larger and grow (what you think about expands). One useful trick it to then think about your back healing and feeling good. Take a moment to paint a picture of all of the soothing things you can do to heal your back pain. Imagine a time when your back felt great and healthy. Your body will feel better because you were able to provide a positive healing image for your body to attach to. This image will give your body a physiological dose of happy endorphins for your healing. Further, it will help you to focus on the solution instead of the problem.

12) Breathe Deep: Adding deep doses of Oxygen to your body will always add a major healing component to an injury. Breathing releases tension in the body and it can relax the mind as well. When you experience sudden pain you may notice that you also hold your breath. It tends to happen because of a certain shock factor from the pain that can jolt us for a moment. When you have the pain, take a moment to first acknowledge the pain message and then breath in deep. Visualize the breath going into your body and healing the injured area.
~ You can follow this basic deep breathing exercise: Breathe in filing your lungs and lower belly with air to a count of 4. Breath in….1, 2, 3, 4. Hold your breath a the top of the inhale for 4….1,2,3,4. Then breathe out to the count of 4….1,2,3,4. Hold at the bottom of the breath out for 4….1,2,3,4. Then start again with another breath in for a count of 4 seconds. Do at least 4 times and much more if you please.

13) Ask for Help: Stop lifting things and get some support from others while you heal your injury. Slow down and let others step in ☺

Happy Health Back Loving from Rooted Living Liz!

Veggie Bake Creation

My Veggie Quinoa Bake Creation
This recipe takes time but it is a very simple and easy way to combine the protein you need (from the Quinoa) along with the packed nutritional value of a variety of veggies.

A) Line the pan with the ingredients below:

1 Cup Quinoa (I used red)
2 Cups of filtered Water
1-2 Table of Organic Olive Oil or some other oil you like
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of dried or fresh organic Rosemary
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons dried or fresh organic Thyme

B) Cook the following in a pan with Olive Oil or Coconut Oil until onions are close to translucent.

1 Yellow onion- sliced and diced
1 Whole Garlic Head- Sliced and minced
Season with Turmeric, Sea Salt and Basil. Add spices to your liking.

When done, place this onion/garlic/seasoning mixture into pan with Quinoa mixture and let it sit.

C) Cut up your remaining Veggies for the dish- use whatever you like.

This one includes:

1 Yellow Pepper
2 Red Pepper
4 Green Peppers
1-2 Zucchini or summer squash
Bunch of cherry tomatoes

I like to place the layer of peppers in first, and then layer squash on top with some tomato mixed in.
I also added some sprouts as my farmer friends always have a bunch around the house.

D) The Top Layer:

A few leaves of Chard or Kale to cut up and sprinkle as a top crust layer- Place Oil on top (this will leave a yummy “kale chip like” crunch to the top.

Please note if you are using a lot of veggies, then you will want to add in a bit more water so the dish will not dry out.

Bake at 350 for about 1- 1 ½ hour. Bake long enough for the water to evaporate and cook the quinoa while baking and to crisp the top to your liking.
Enjoy with Love :-)

Rooted Living