The more I know the less I know!

This past weekend was a DOOZY! I mean...whew! and WHOA! and WOW! And it was all a little bit much. An emotional wipeout! But I can say that with all of that came some goodness, some clarity and some peace. Funny how that goes. Also exhausting because I had no time off. Full day of class Saturday AND Sunday! Massage class Saturday and aromatherapy Sunday. Saturday's massage class was a very challenging exercise about how pain and trauma, emotional or physical, shows up in your body. It's fascinating to be sure. But it was a tough tough class for me. I'm glad I did it and participated fully but I think it just about wiped me out!

While I was at class Sunday one of the other participants said, "I feel like the more I know the less I know!" Oh, yes, that resonates with me 100%. Does it ever amaze you how much you don't know and how much there is to learn? And on the flip side does it ever amaze you how much you already know? It's shocking to me sometimes. Like when you have the answer for something that you didn't know you knew. I have definitely felt this way about my massage school. There are so many facets to massage, bodywork, energy work, etc. that I either didn't know existed or didn't know the extent all these different things can help you. I feel like such an infant in my knowledge base on how we can heal ourselves and/or live a much younger and healthier life. There's SOOOOO much to learn! Then I get anxious and overexcited about learning and want to know it all now. Does this happen to you? Please tell me it does. Or is this what being obsessive is all about? Haha! I was really glad I went to this class because now I know that the Raindrop Technique, while being extremely amazing to receive is not something I would be inclined to give. It's just not for me. But at least now I know what it's all about and that I really enjoy it being done and also know that I have no desire to practice it. I will of course be incorporating some essential oils into my massage practice though. And for my own personal use of course.

I've had a pretty big shift over the past couple of weeks about working out and my body in general. I hold a lot of muscle and don't lose it too quickly. Yet I think I've kind of been living in fear of losing my muscle since you do lose muscle as you get older. That seemed to be my reason for lifting weights. Well, it eventually was working against me and I had no desire to lift weights. And my desire to work out kept dwindling. Finally about a week and a half ago I decided that enough was enough and I was just going to have to do what sounded good to me and felt good to my body regardless of if I thought I was going to lose my muscle. And then I started blading and dancing and I already feel so much better. We often forget to honor what our bodies and/or mind are telling us.

Then last week I went to get an AMAZING massage. This therapist taught me that I have a whole helluva lot left to learn in this field. It was amazing and inspiring. And he said to me something that made me stop and think. It was about doing weights. And he said to me that I didn't need anymore muscle. Now he didn't say it in a mean way as if I'm too big and muscly. He just said it matter-of-factually and it struck a nerve. And I had to question myself and my reasons for doing weights in the first place and then I realized that I don't need anymore muscle right now and I really don't need to fear the loss of muscle. Yes, I think it's important to be strong but I AM strong and I do have a LOT of muscle. And after thinking about this I basically breathed a sigh of relief. How crazy is that? It's like I needed "permission" to not lift weights.  And now I'm totally fine not lifting weights or even going to a gym right now. I'm thinking more skating and dancing are in the works for me. And I think I'll even bring back my Pilates practice that I love so much. And even some yoga again. I actually haven't been going to yoga because the best time for me is on Tuesday nights and I've been in massage class on Tuesday nights. So now I'll be able to go back to yoga on Tuesday nights. Yay!

There's so much to learn about myself, my body, my mind, and life in general. I feel like such an infant right now. Everything is new as far as all the bodywork stuff goes. But that's what life's about, right? Finding something that you really enjoy and just learning all you can until the next thing comes along that you want to learn about. Kind of fun, don't you think? Wow! I can't believe I only have two more classes and then this part of my massage school is over. I'll be taking more classes to get my certification but this part will be done. It's been quite a ride!

Apricot Mint Smoothie - dairy free & vegan

It's apricot time! Yay! Let's all cheer for apricots! I love them so much. We actually had an apricot tree growing up but wasn't as crazy about them then as I am now. And apricot and mint? Such a divine combination. With all that in mind, I set out to make a delicious apricot smoothie this morning. This is so refreshing and yummy.

Apricot Mint Smoothie

1 cup lightly flavored tea (I used Adagio from Lupicia - green rooibos with lemongrass) or water

2 large apricots (3-4 small), pits removed

1 1/2 handfuls of macadamia nuts

1/2 tablespoon chia

1 tablespoon hemp protein

1/2 teaspoon maca

1/2 teaspoon chlorella

2 dates, pitted

2 stems of mint, leaves only

8 or so ice cubes

Blend all but ice till smooth. With blender running add ice cubes one at a time through hole in top of blender. Blend till desired consistency. Enjoy!

Massage School and Life (which is GOOD!)

Sorry I have been MIA. I've just been super busy and trying to get in a lot of massage practice so I can rock as a massage therapist! Woohoo!

And let me just say WOW! What an affirming day today was! I guess I know I'm finally...FINALLY...on the right path! Where to begin...well probably here - at Massage School

MASSAGE SCHOOL AND AROMATHERAPY: Massage school is still awesome and amazing! I just love it. I'm learning so much. And tonight was the cherry on the sundae. My instructor pulled me aside and asked me if I wanted to be a T.A. (teacher's assistant for those that don't know) for a class later in the year! Wow! How cool is that? He said that my body mechanics are really spot on and I can observe in others what they might need to change to help them with their massage. This was very awesome to hear and very very affirming! I'm so excited! WAHOOO!!!! I was also practicing with two girls in class that said great things like "you notice every single thing, you don't miss a beat" and "why are the body mechanics so easy for you". Oh! And the bonus of being asked to be a TA is that you get credit hours that can go towards advanced classes at the school.

Also I had lunch with my friend that I had worked on a couple of weeks ago and she said, "I just want to tell you that massage was the best massage I've ever had." Again...wow! Thank you so much Charlene! That means so much to me.

Also a couple of nights ago I went to a free aromatherapy intro at my massage school and I was the demo client! It was amazing. Those of you that know me know that I have a very sensitive nose and am very tuned into scent in general. So aromatherapy is something that definitely resonates with me. It was really cool and amazing. I know this sounds crazy but they measured my height before and after and I probably gained about 1/4" or so in a 15-minute session. Very cool. I'm going to be taking the full course next week. Can't wait! Essential oils are amazing and have been around for a long time. And since they come from plants of course I believe they are great for you. From nature to you. It's the only way to go. I'm going more and more natural in my life because I know that all this man-made creations can't be all that great for you.

HAIRCARE: I've stopped dying my hair with chemical dye. I can only imagine how bad that is for me. I don't want to do that anymore. Now I use henna from Morrocco Method. Next time I dye it with henna I'll try to remember to take some before and after pictures. It's actually quicker to apply than the chemical dyes but you have to leave it on much longer and it takes FOREVER to rinse out. But it didn't stain anything at all. It says your hair will feel softer but I don't really find that to be true. It does feel healthier though. I understand that I still have a lot of chemical left in my hair too so maybe once the chemicals are finally out of my hair my hair will actually feel softer. I also use shampoo and conditioner that don't have chemicals in them. They smell a little funky but I can tell my hair is happier in general.

WORKOUTS: Okay, let me just be honest. Strength training is having little appeal to me right now.Very little...virtually none...actually almost completely none. I really don't know why. So I had to reconfigure my mind! LOL! And I decided that I need to do something that's appealing to me so I will actually get in some kind of workout and movement. So I decided to bring my inline skating back to the forefront of my life. I love the outdoors and the weather is PERFECT for skating right now! So yesterday I went and it was FANTASTIC! I forgot how much I love it! And so I decided that it may not be the best thing for me in terms of building strength but there is something to be said for pushing my bodyweight up a hill through the friction of the road in lateral movement. And to be honest it doesn't matter how much weight training I do but those muscles used in skating I can never truly target in the same way. So...it's onto more skating for me. Yes, I'll still go to the gym but mostly now to enhance my skating ability! This is a win win for me.

NUTRITION: Hmmm...what do I have to say about that? Nothing really. It's just really nice to eat what I really want to eat. I do need to be better about making meals and not eating out so often but all in time, all in time. I really enjoy my shake in the morning so I'll probably keep that up for most of the summer. I can just put so much goodness into it that it makes it so worthwhile. I was having 8 ounces of kombucha each day with some acai, chlorella, and maca. But then I found out by checking out ayurveda that I probably shouldn't really be eating/drinking fermented foods. So I decided to chill with the kombucha. So no I put those items in my shake instead. Can't even taste them in there. Well, I don't always put the acai, just in fruit smoothies. But not in the chocolate one.

The only thing I really need to put a focus on is going to bed earlier! Why is that so challenging for me? I've been better about it but really not getting to bed when I need to...as witnessed by the post time of this blog entry! Okay, I'll be better next week. For real! Good night! Have a great weekend everyone!