Over the past month I’ve been reconnecting with essential oils. When I was young my mom used essential oils, and I always loved it when she’d use lavender oil to promote healthy skin, or used tee tree oil for its cleansing properties. This reconnection with...
Whether you make this crumble for Thanksgiving, or just because there is something to be grateful for every day, you’ll be thankful for the simplicity of this recipe! As you know, I like to read recipes and then change them to my own liking. That’s...
I was in a funk last week. It would have been easy to blame it on travel and jet lag, but I had to own it. Sometimes I simply feel utterly inadequate, incompetent and unsuccessful. Scrolling through Instagram obviously doesn’t make it any better. Everyone...
Last week I was on a 6-day Silent Meditation retreat with my teachers Sarah and Ty Powers. I love being silent for an extended period of time. It clears my mind and reconnects me with myself. During one of my meditations my 7-year old nephew...
Almost every meal I make, my husband says: “This should go in a cook book!” Flattering, of course, but I think there are already so many cookbooks out there. Having said that, I thought it would be nice to share some of my favorite recipes...
Have you ever wondered, while standing in front of the cool section at the grocery store, why organic fermented sauerkraut is so expensive? Try making it yourself, and you will understand why. Since there is only so much raw red cabbage that you can eat,...
I like to think I am a morning person. I love to get up early and meditate while the world is still quiet. I don’t like waking up with an alarm though. Already years ago I downloaded a song from my favorite movie as my...
I am in Italy. For two weeks I’m teaching yoga at the Mandali Retreat Center. The center is located in the mountains, with a view on the lake in the valley below. The surroundings and conditions are offering constant opportunities for reflection. As the weather...
Last week I was on a 5-day Silent Meditation Retreat. Besides no talking, there was no reading, no writing, no music, just nothing to distract me from the present moment, other than my own thoughts. I loved it, and hated it. I love being silent,...
In my previous blog I described that experiencing a - real or perceived - threat triggers the fight-or-flight response in our body. This reaction makes our brain even more hyper alert to threat. It works in reverse too: negative thoughts trigger stress responses in the...