Monday, December 8, 2014

For Me: Giving is Forgiving

To give is to allow someone to have. It is a choice, it is an act of putting the needs of another above your own. To forgive someone is then of the same token. It is a selfless act. So why is it so easy for us to give but it becomes so difficult for us to forgive?

As I think of resentment, anger and pain I also remember those who are no longer with me, I think of what they taught me and how they still shape every part of who I am. David, my uncle, to watch how helpless he was those last few months, made me become grateful for every muscle, tissue, fiber and breath. He died of ALS in 2004. Papa, smiled ear to ear the minute he saw me. He taught me joy, he taught me strength and perseverance. He taught me love. Died in 1992 of congestive heart failure. He made the decision to stop fighting, to stop all the surgeries and to let nature take its course. Woody, my great grandfather taught me simplicity. He loved his routine, he loved when I would sit next to him, hold his hand and not say anything at all. Died of old age you can say, at 100 years old. These men have taught me in their last days what was truly important, to see them and witness who they were near the end of their life versus who they were just years before that. When I think of forgiveness I think of death, I think of letting go, moving on and pressing forward. I believe that is where true happiness lies, is being free from that pain, that attachment to another outcome.

Each of these family members are long gone, yet the memory of their lives is forever with me, it moves me forward in my life, to look back at how they changed me, they altered my thinking in a sense, they allowed me to believe in a great many things. Each one of these men knew that they were dying, it gave them an opportunity to give, to let go of possessions that no longer seemed important and to release the pain that others had caused them. I look at my own life and understand that I have let the actions of others hurt me, so much that I have built up a wall of resentment and anger causing me stress and worry. The gift I give to myself this holiday season is forgiveness, to sit in quiet, to write letters to those that have offended and to free myself of any bad thought towards that person. I want to live a happier, cheerful life and that starts with my past pains all the way to present day. I choose this life, and to live it in the best way I know how.

Monday, November 17, 2014

Time Out

The soul within our individual souls
loves the one who runs and falls down
more than the one who sits and watches.
-Rumi

Our lives are made into stories over the fluctuations, proof that timing is everything and madness can strike at any moment. We have all read and heard the amazing stories of how people rose up from the ashes, how they defined a moment in time that changed them. You can see it, a child within them that once loved to be adventurous. You can see when people have experienced hardships and pain, it never dulls from their eyes. I have learned myself that it is just as great to "sit and watch"  as it is to "run and fall down." That the dark times define for us moments of reflection where you can decide to be better and produce the life you envision.

I am just a simple observer of life, but is it not relevant for adults to take time to reflect, to sit and think about their actions? As children we are reprimanded, we are scolded and put in time out. As adults, we rarely have that opportunity, we continue along a path, maybe taking a moment to recognize our wrong doings or we just keep moving. I believe that time alone is one of the keys to feeling healthy. That reflection keeps your ego in check, it allows you to see life from a different perspective and that is imperative to our evolution. 

Hiking up the canyons, enjoying the fresh air and being able to stand atop this crazy town is a feeling like nothing else. Feeling sand in between my toes, swiping my fingers through the grains, feeling the warmth of sunshine and hearing the waves rolling in allows a moment for me to feel small and yet taken care of. As I practice living off the mat, I realize there are templates for mediation. At first it is always difficult and challenging to be quiet but as time passes we start to crave those moments. I think the difference between meditation and any other form of quiet is that it is a choice, we have to choose to make it a part of our day instead of life hitting us and forcing us to take time off.

I started noticing that I loved being alone about three years ago, for some of you I know you can run circles around this but for me it was a revelation, it became time that I cherished. I devoted these moments to being quiet. It didn't matter what I did that day, all that became obvious was that I could then focus my attention better at work. I make sure to have time, even small chunks of time to write, to read, to meditate, to clean my house and light incense, to just be a girl, to be out of the chaos. That is my meditation and it is not the classic version that anyone will teach you but it allows me to calm down, to go within and reflect on my actions instead of everyone else and what they are doing wrong.

Life will fluctuate with each one of us, as the highs come it is important to maintain a consistent effort of quiet time so that when we need that solitude, we have a consistent schedule of time blocked out. Life will give you time outs regardless if you take them or not, I truly believe it is in those moments that we are capable of change. 




Monday, October 27, 2014

On visions, dreams and reality

Truth is, whatever I aim to achieve is possble. If you work hard enough, long enough and without interruption you can achieve anything. You can set any goal, even achieve it, but that doesn't mean it is supposed to be yours. I see people everyday chasing dreams, it is fascinating to take a look at what makes us drive ourselves forward, sometimes into the ground in order to check something off a list. Do we love the achievement, do we love the suffering or the high we get chasing goals or do we just love life, that being able to achieve great new heights is truly living at its fullest. 


I have been called "the walking accident," "a great athlete that never finished" and on and on it kept going through life that I was talented, I could achieve a great many things but it was always a little too high of a reach or so it seemed. My problems were never talent but on showing up on the line when it really mattered. When it came to production, to shining in the spotlight an injury would show up. Frustrated to say the least I became very bitter, angered that I could never prove myself in the right moments. Then I stopped, looked at the situation and realized that if I paid more attention to my body, my alignment and had proper coaching that I could have been more. 

Or is it really true that I learned all that I did, that my love for being active is to teach not to win. I struggle with this reality because I love being the center of attention. Through that struggle I have been forced to live my life, to find other parts of life that I enjoy. I learned the long hard road of what it feels like to heal your body, it took me almost two years to begin to feel my age again after my motorcycle accident. It taught me patience and it taught me to enjoy a simple life. To get out of bed every morning and stand up was a struggle all its own, to put on my clothes required that I sit on the floor. To drive my car I had to go slow, to turn right required that my entire body moved. I hated when people would slam on the brakes because the force required to stop my car was so painful in my body it made me crave normalcy, to just feel absent of pain in the body. So, to look at my life today, being able to run and swim, go to a yoga class and live pain free feels incredible.

Maybe my purpose is to teach, to inspire others to compete and give you the tools that will let you shine, that the reality is I can be happy doing routine work and being ordinary. Maybe your reality is that you can love something and never get recognized for how great you are and we have to be accepting of that reality first. Do I really love what I do or do I love the attention I get while I do it?

I dream of a day when I can cross a finish line, a real one or the imaginary one to the goals that I lay out for myself. I try to start small, I build up one day at a time and ultimately I write down the big goal. I would love to be the girl that gets it back and can prove talent on the line. But that will never be enough, see we are always chasing to be better in all ways. The shift that I had to make was coming down from the clouds of lofty dreams and hopes of others into the reality of what I can truthfully achieve and what my purpose ultimately is. Do I have the patience and the love for what I do to keep showing up and wanting to get better, so that it doesn't matter if I am on a sports team going for the win or just enjoying myself in a sport I am working my body with an intention that it has to be challenged and I have to know when enough is enough, when rest is needed.


Monday, August 18, 2014

Book Club

I started my own book club this summer and it has been a fascinating discovery. You could say I have replaced actual friendships with my books. Which in small doses works wonders. I nestle in on my couch with a large mug of whatever I am drinking that day and mull over every concept. I am intrigued to discover that what I think, what I do and what my mamma gave me are always changing, always evolving into what I am doing with my life. Every thought, every action is accounted for, it becomes recorded into my life. The more I read the more I could not stop. The first of my great reads was all about allergies, then on to skin and proper care of the biggest organ in our body and lastly I just finished reading about genetics. I can say that they all have shed light onto my old beliefs of what was good and bad. I have opened up towards the idea that even though I have a set of DNA that codes every cell of my body I am still in control of my destiny. That what I do, every single day is ultimately who I will become.


"Even long after we're gone, our bones can leave behind clues about the myriad of experiences of our lives that have been impacted by our genes. The constant use, strain and weight isn't just toning muscle, it's also setting osteoblasts and osteoclasts to work, which changes genetic expression that helps to build stronger bones. It's also weaving together an aspect of our life story that will last as long as our bones do." Even after I am gone someone can look at my bones and identify how I lived my life. They can see what I was allergic to, what my diet consisted of and the quality of life I lived.

I have recently started a new program of cardio and endurance based workouts. Sad thing is, my body is not ready for that quite yet. I need to do a few rounds of physical therapy because I have to strengthen my body to work more cohesively. And is that not the truth, looking at me you would say I am the picture of health, and while there are truths to that I have to make my muscles, my body all work together. Because it is not how I look that really matters, its that it all works together. From food to workouts to rest I have to delicately balance all of it. I have to push, pull, swing and hold my way to a better body, a more balanced body that will take me anywhere I want to go. I will not live in fear or hold back from anything because I can accomplish any task if you give me time and a little room to make mistakes. I have since ended my obsession with books and am now back on the friend market. No excuses this time!



Photo by: Patricia Pena
Quote from the book "Inheritance" by Sharon Moalem, MD, PhD


Saturday, July 5, 2014

Mirror, Mirror

To hold up a standard in our lives is inevitable, we all say harsh things about our bodies, our shortcomings and failures. I feel that at times throughout my life, I come to a place where I see almost too clearly my actions and how I am in the wrong all the time, how I must come off to other people and all I can do is realize how far I have yet to go. The mirror is held up, and I know that I am not the only one. You have a chance to be better, to rise above and to change. We all have an excuse for why we act the way we do, but how we come off to others should reflect our true thoughts and actions. I usually come off stern, upset or not in the mood to talk and that is pretty accurate. But I want to be different. I want to be approachable and friendly. I want to be able to stand up for myself in the right moments and surrender in others. It is a delicate balance that comes easily very few days. Most days I struggle, I try to accept that all I can do is be open and ready for the changes that I need to make.


We need to be accountable to each other. To call out each other when someone has made a mistake and support them through it. I want people in my life like this. I aim to surround myself with individuals who are striving to be better versions of themselves, never thinking they made it. Because do we ever make it? What standard is "making" it? We are all equals in this world; rich or poor, successful or homeless, we all can be better and do better.

I recently started reading some fascinating books regarding health, allergies and genetics. One simple principle that they all speak about is taking care of our body by working with it, not against it. Our bodies send us signals (headaches, runny nose, sneezing, sore throats, acne, muscle aches and spasms, heart palpitations, etc.) and it is our duty to honor the body and discover why our bodies behave the way they do. The same is true of our behaviors. Why do we react to certain people with anger and others with kindness?

We have to be smarter than our bodies, and the only way that can happen is by being observant to our actions, our inconsistent patterns and understanding the why instead of masking over our problems with excuses. It can be external or internal, the root of the problem is what I seek to solve, to understand the why instead of just giving it a because.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Me, Me, Mine

From a place of always giving, always available and willing to help another, to do work and to be of service there comes a freedom from a space to become selfish. I find that when I am too much of one thing I have to balance it out in order to come back to a place of harmony within myself. This month has created a challenge for me with writing, I would sit down to write and have nothing, or when something did come up I felt that it was not good enough to publish. That came from me giving too much out and not putting enough back in to me. I own that. I have to work at creating a space where I can receive back and allow myself to take in all that is out there for me. Last night I went outside and sat on my patio, the clouds were rolling it and it seemed that a storm was upon us. It was beautiful and invigorating. It inspired me to go get some paper and write, I have translated it into some form of legibility below and I hope you enjoy!

Where does creativity spring forth? In the freedom of expression, the letting go of what we want into the momentary bliss of life. Creativity is our desire to express ourselves in the simplest form, ends up being the most expansive version of what we need to communicate with the world. For me, the words are not always present so actions must suffice. When colors are not available, the message should still come across. I sit and wonder how much I have walked by and missed because I was so caught up in my life and how important I thought I was. To have faith, always, that what we do here is not in vain must be accompanied by an effort of joy. That one by one we are uncovering pearls among oyster shells.

In life, sit near someone who has had the experience as well as sit under a tree with new blossoms. A great teacher, Bawa Muhaiyaddeen said that if you want something hard enough you will get it. He said "it will happen when the eye (I) becomes a we." We are here on earth to use each other, to share our lives and what goes on in them. We can try to isolate, to tell ourselves that we are better off alone but that is the biggest lie of all. I need people in my life who hold me accountable, who inspire me and teach me. I can't always be the teacher, the rule enforcer or the wise one. I must also be the student, the one that listens. That is where I sit now. That is where I am. 




Monday, May 12, 2014

surrender


you cannot find peace by avoiding life
nor can you live by never having restraint
for to truly understand life you have to know the beat of another's heart
you have to give, wholly of yourself with nothing in return
accept defeat, surrender.



Saturday, April 26, 2014

Piano Man

"Are we teaching students to become like piano tuners who never experience the joy of just playing the piano? Do they know volumes about the technique, but nothing about the joy of practicing it? But if technique is all we teach, then there is no heart in our teaching."                        --Judith Lasater


Maybe one of my all-time favorite yoga teachers, rather mentor, Judith allows students to practice from a space that is rooted in tradition yet open to expression. I try to explore this space on my yoga mat. To do what I love, knowing the rules of how to play the game, and allowing variables to change, to just show up and to not feel judgement or lack of love is a beautiful place to live. Many times it is a space that is hard to recreate. So, stop trying to recreate a past memory. Start to make new ones!

Growing up one of my best friends father's was a piano tuner. He had the privilege of tuning piano's for all the great musicians that would come play in Detroit or Auburn Hills. And he would be there when they would warm up and I asked him what it was like to warm up with the "greats"? He said, "you know, nothing special. They play simple beats well." I was disappointed to say the least. But now, I get it. I love it! The excitement of practice comes from showing up, knowing how much you are capable of but allowing the beat to flow, to be uninterrupted by ego and to let your spirit flow freely.

I think yoga is like music, at times it entertains us. We go for the scene. Eventually that wears off and we are left in a space that is empty. It is like a song left on repeat. I can sing you a song, play the piano real loud. What matters is what your showing up with, an eagerness to learn, a readiness to change and an acceptance of what cannot change.

I want to be a teacher that gives cues, small cues that allow students to teach themselves. That is who I want to be known as. Students will remember how to do it right because they felt it, maybe they heard one cue, lift your gaze and it changed more than just their focus, it gave them feeling in their upper body. To be challenged, is a gift. To rise to that challenge is what changes us. Stop expecting others to do the work that you were meant to do. Because Billy said it best, "we're all in the mood for a melody, and you got us feeling alright." Someone can always make you feel alright, it is when you start making yourself feel alright.


Thursday, April 3, 2014

#happy is the new #fake

"Can you be happy for 100 days in a row?" 

I came upon this website that challenges you to be happy for 100 days. They ask you to post one photo a day of something that makes you happy onto your social media site of choice. I can say that I was curious, a bit skeptical but interested enough to check it out. People that I know were logging in and posting photos of life, food, beautiful scenery, so naturally I was inclined to see what the challenge was all about. Upon further investigation I decided to call the whole operation bullshit. I mean, are we that depressed of a culture that we have to hashtag happy?

When you click onto the website (www.100happydays.com), it states "Can you be happy for 100 days in a row?" I mean the real challenge for me would be to run for a 100 days in a row, to feed the homeless girl that sleeps next to my car for 100 days, to keep my house clean for 100 days. These are real challenges, this....whatever this is, being happy is not a challenge. I could not stop shaking my head and feeling myself get angry.

The website goes on further to explain that 71% of people could not complete the challenge due to time. Time? I was not aware that it took time to be happy. I thought happiness was an emotion, a reaction to what is occurring in your life. I don't think that being happy should require thought or action. It should not be forced or coerced out of someone, it should be authentic, genuine and full of freedom to express yourself. If your life is that terrible, change it! A little backdrop for some of you, for two years of my life I was addicted to pain medication because I was hurting physically, emotionally and mentally. I was diagnosed as depressed and it was true. I never wanted to leave my house and it was hard to have conversations with people without starting to cry. My struggles are real and authentic, I don't need to have someone tell me how I should live my life, or that I should smile more. As if they have any idea what was or is occurring in my life. How dare anyone tell me how I should feel when they have never walked in my shoes. Don't presume that I am not happy or that I am not dealing with hard and serious life issues. We all are, and to be told that I am not happy or that I should smile more makes me feel that the work I am doing is in vein.

Do I need to smile to prove to you that I am happy, that I am grateful for my life. What are we looking for? Those that smile all day, that force happiness and joy on others, they think if they smile they will make me happy, as if I am not happy already. These "constasmilers" most likely go home and are miserable. They open up the fridge or break open a bottle of wine to drown their sorrows. You can put up a front, be fake all day but what happens when the crowd goes away, when you are no longer the center of attention or your photo was not "liked" over 100 times on Instagram? I wrote in my last blog post, can you love without being loved back and I mean that, can you wake up and be happy with absolutely nothing? Have you ever had nothing, truly, absolutely nothing at all?

The challenge asks you to post one picture a day of you doing something that makes you happy. I would ask though, what are you doing the rest of the day? Did a photo truly make you realize that you have a great life? I just cannot buy into this idea that posting a picture will make you happy, will make you appreciate the small things in life. I think the source of true happiness is in the everyday moments, when you're not looking for anything or expecting much. I think happiness is momentary and joy is everlasting. I find my joy in waking up and doing what I love everyday. I don't need to brag about my life, prove my self to others over social media and brag about how great my life is. It is and I know that, I have worked hard to do it. I cannot give anyone the solution to a happy life, I can however tell you that social media is probably the last place I would spend my time to feel good about myself. Set your own standard based off of what you love, what makes you feel great about yourself. Be content with the life that you were given.

I really wonder what this "happy" culture will do to us. If we are always happy what will we do when something really awesome comes our way? Don't dilute the feelings that you have, being happy should be a normal occurrence, it should happen everyday but not with force, not by feeling like you have to be happy otherwise your depressed. I hope to shine light on this, to inspire you to feel all emotions at the appropriate times. To be happy when good things come your way and when they come your neighbors way. To cry when you get bad news. To love when the right one comes your way. To dance when the music sings to your soul and to most of all let it happen in stride, in equal measure and without hesitation.

Monday, March 24, 2014

Love: The Definition of You

What you do on a daily basis eventually becomes who you are at the end of your life. 

I wake up, teach class, eat, teach another class, eat again. Nap. Eat. Teach. Eat. Teach. Sleep. Somewhere in the mix of all that I fit in time for myself, or that ends up being nap time again. I sat down with a pad of paper and wrote down what is hard for me to do. On that list included: take the time to notice the small things, be kind when all I feel is angry, when you are in need--give back to others. The list went on but I realized that I can do all of the things that I am terrible at each and every day. I am in control of the focus of my life story. If I can take the time to reflect each month over the things I need to work on or even the things I want to accomplish. When I started applying that philosophy to my life it started to drive my day towards others instead of making the day all about me and my needs.

I think so many times we think we should be doing "X" to define "Y." We chase after a dream that we never truly explored. If you love money, then define yourself as that. I am under the assumption that there is always more to a person than what they want to show everyone. We are complex, emotional and passionate beings that want to be accepted. So it is natural to try to prove your worth to family, friends and all those that are interested. Hard question is, can you just exist in a space that is all yours? Can you love without being loved back?

I wrote what my definition is: Katherine Ryan, I am a servant, who loves to read, listen to music and be outdoors, preferably with sunshine and sand. I love to love. I love to teach those who want to learn. I want to serve the world in a capacity I am not sure of now, so I will keep my heart and my mind open to that possibility.


When I started teaching there were times when no one would show up. It was defeating, I could of given up, threw my hands up and said this was too tough, no one wants me. But I sat down, I wrote down reasons why I love what I do, why I chose to give up another life, another career for this. I had months that were tough, very, very tough. I realized that regardless of the audience in front of me, I was fueled by learning and by teaching. I choose to show up day in and day out with a purpose, a reason for teaching and I ask clients to define why they are in my class. If they are not leaving class having learned something either they are in the wrong class or I am the wrong teacher for them. The people in our lives need to give us something; inspiration, motivation, conversation all lead up to great client relationships but that has to continue otherwise the relationship will end. You have to continue to show up ready to learn and explore.


I have been exploring this teacher/student relationship for a while and it is so great to see students start to explore other classes and other teachers. I implore you all to ask the hard questions, why do I get up every morning? Why am I going to this class? Why am I going to work? Why do I have this person in my life? Keep yourself challenged and keep on challenging those in your life. That is when transformation happens, where breakthrough occurs and moves are truly made. Don't look back at your life with regrets, live each day how you want. And if you make a mistake, try again and be better the next time.


Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Food Integration Program

The month of March I will be leading a 14 day detox followed by a food integration program. I find that a lot of people can stick to something for 14 days and then go back to old habits.It is challenging to cut food out of the diet and for some the detox is just what they need to reset the body and start on a better path to eating healthy, clean foods. We start by cutting out all alcohol, caffeine and meat products and then dive into cutting out grains. This is a great way to clean out your system of extra waste and to feed the body the best available products out there, I promise you will see results in clearer skin, brighter eyes and a renewed sense of energy.


The food integration program keeps you on track with your goals by having a coach, me, guide you through the process of adding in food after the detox one day at a time but remaining with a strict food plan that I have set in motion for you. Controlling what your eating, so it has a purpose, a plan to make you stronger, leaner, more energized and most of all happy. Be happy with what you put in your body, each and every day, focused on maintaining a routine that keeps you at a steady and healthy weight.

I look forward to seeing a new crop of faces this March ready to clean out the body in time for Spring. Please message me for more information at ryan.katherine7@gmail.com





Monday, February 3, 2014

a little piece of heaven

I walk in the door and immediately I am greeted with a feeling of safety, overwhelming love and warmth. Warmth that comes from a devotion to self, to home and to serving. This feeling of comfort, it is what I strive to bring into my own home. A feeling that anyone who walks in the door feels my love, my heartbeat, my Self.

I grew up in a home that felt this way. A reason why I strive for that in my own home, my classes and all around me. My parents gave me so much love and taught me to take care of myself, the things that I own and taking pride in the product of my work. My work, meaning everything that I do, that I associate with and approve of. This can be as simple as making time to listen to a friend. Really listening to them. Putting forth the best quality of work at all times, not when it feels good or people approve of you, but even when they don't. Always thinking of the people around you and how to serve them. That has been my task lately, to serve. To become, a place where people feel free, that they can say anything, do anything and be exactly who they are. Just becoming aware of where I can give, all of me, all the time.

I feel like it is so easy to be blinded with dreams, ambitions and money. But take all that away and who are you? That is what I want to work on, me, the core of who I am, what I am about without all the sparkle. To sparkle all on my own, without certifications, ambassador status, client followings. I found that I give the most of myself when I am present, in the moment and dedicated to listening, not just to people talking, but listening to myself, how do I feel. If I don't feel good, how can I make those around me feel good? If I am uninspired, I cannot inspire. I have to go out into this world, put my hands on the earth, feel the sun shine on my face and spend time being quiet, being still and allowing myself to just be present for whatever shows up. Today, tomorrow, and each day after that.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

excuse me, did you sign up for the fight?

"the nights you fight best
are
when the kiss of death is mistaken for love.
when the game is fixed,
when the crowd screams for your blood.
the nights you fight best
are 
on a night like this
as you chase a thousand 
dark rats from your brain,
as you rise up against the impossible,
as you become a brother
to the tender sister
of joy and 

move on

regardless."

--C.B.

what drives us to the edge? when all the chips are stacked against us, where we have seen enough darkness, kissed death on the lips, tasted the bitter end, to the point where we must change. no, we have to change, everything; our habits, our goals, our lives.

with maturity has come this new attitude of becoming lost in the chase, instead of having to prove myself with a "see me" attitude, i chase a dream that is mine alone. i get lost in the story of me, sometimes i just get lost in a sea of what i think i want, what i wish i had and how happy i think i would be if i had it all. i recently had to sit down and reattach my goals with my dreams. i envision a life that is possible, that is tangible and that i can touch. and everyday, every single day that passes, is an opportunity to seize all that i can out of it, to truly chase the dream or to let it slip away into the arms of someone who wants it more than me. because that is the true test. do you really want it? 

as children we all wanted that "toy" and we wanted it so bad. it was March, your birthday was months away, Christmas even further but we swore to our parents, buy it for me now and i won't want anything else. but by the time december rolls around we already want the next big thing. that is what i am talking about. i have heard the speech, from clients, friends even family members about what we want, where we want to be but the real question is how bad are you willing to fight for it and what are you willing to give up for that dream? it is not just something you see someone else doing that you want too, it is part of who you are and without it, your life would cease to be as it is. this is what i am talking about. these goals, these dreams.

i found my dreams, i wrote them out in my vision and i turned them into my goals. they wake me up with a little more purpose, help me to stay in the "fight" when all i want to do is eat my face off and push the snooze button another time. one day these goals will become not just a vision that i had, but a reality of a life that i have welcomed and am ready to embrace. i am here to be a light even when all else is dark, to shine bright and to love all those that i come into contact with. what are you doing?

Sunday, January 12, 2014

milk

I want to talk about milk. For those of you still consuming milk, even in trace amounts please read. Cow's naturally release toxins through their milk, just like any other gland in our bodies we release toxins through sweating, urine, feces and yes women, our milk. With hormones, antibiotics and genetically modified substances being pumped into them daily can you just imagine what is coming out through their milk??? I will tell you! There is on average 322 million cell counts of Pus per glass, 1.5 million white blood cells (yes, cow's blood) per mL of milk sold, 15-81 different antibiotics that could have been injected into the cow to treat any illness or disease it is facing. Organic milk, while its reduced in these numbers it is not free from them. Not only do we have to switch to milk alternatives such as hemp, rice, coconut, almond or soy but we have to be so careful what food we eat that has milk in it. Look at ingredients. The only milk I would ever drink is when I see the cow being raised, how it is treated and what it is fed and then I would go milk it all by myself and drink it that evening with a huge chocolate chip cookie!




 Cow's milk while it is high in vitamin D is low in Magnesium, a key mineral in our body that is important in more than 300 chemical reactions in the body including helping to keep stomach acid neutralized and bones healthy and strong. The easiest way to get magnesium is through vegetables, not milk, think fiber heavy veggies--squash, broccoli, and leafy greens. The most interesting fact that I saw in my study was that magnesium is used to treat ADHD, lyme disease, cronic fatigue syndrome, migraine headaches and PMS. Of course we can always take supplements, but can we start by eating healthy, drinking so much water and creating a diet that is laden with vegetables, superfoods and fruit! Eating healthy is just one part, but it matters and at the end of the day the food you eat is the fuel for what you want to do, whether it be to move your body and sweat or to sit all day on your couch. Each part matters just as much as the next! I don't have to harm myself or others in the process of refining myself, going through the grit and grunt of life I can be at peace with the fact that even at my greatest moments I am flawed. It is through the struggle that I find peace, through life that I find joy.