May 5, 2012

Tulips are an inspiring indicator that spring is here. Bursting cups of color emerge in a still-rather-gray-and-cold city, and we know that warm weather is riiiight around the corner. We become antsy for change when we see these symbols of spring, ready to slough off winter's tension and toxins.
Living just a few miles from the Skagit Tulip Festival, I ventured out to the countryside to capture one last glimpse of this season's tulips. What I found was nothing short of awesome. Mountain views and dense tulip fields at every turn left me wandering, happily and aimlessly, across the countryside.
I must say, however, the discovery that excited me the most on this adventure was the sighting of a rare and elusive holistic gem: Raw Milk.
Raw milk is the most natural variety of cow's milk. It is unpasteurised, whole, and non-homogenized. Exceptionally creamy and delicious, raw milk is also the most nutritious milk you can find. Intuitively, the cattle that produce raw milk must live a nourishing life in order to produce such high quality milk. For this reason, the price tag is significantly higher (I paid $5 for a half gallon), but for the health benefits and the taste, it is certainly worth more.

What makes raw milk more nutritious than the commercial 2% or skim you can find at your local grocery store?
Unfortunately, Raw Milk Laws prohibit the retail of raw milk in most states. Why? Well, the dairy industry makes billions of dollars each year by raising cows in harsh, unnatural conditions with unnatural feed. This leads to infected udders and bacteria contamination. If milk from these cattle was not pasteurised, it would pose a serious health threat to society. Moreover, what would happen to the sales of commercial milk if everyone could purchase delicious raw milk from their local farmers?
If raw milk is not available in your state, seek out 2%, whole and organic varieties to reap some of the same benefits previously mentioned. And, if you feel passionately about making raw milk available for purchase in your state, join the Farm-to-Consumer's Petition, or send a message to your local legislator.
In the meantime, I will leave you with beautiful, multicolored free-range eggs. More on these natural beauties soon!

Apr 26, 2012
Often when confronted with your limitations, you may try a little bit, then you may back off. You might say to yourself, "That is all I can do today." You go to the edge, you see the edge, and you stay within the context of the familiar.
Maybe the edge confronts you during a conversation with a loved one. You cannot comprehend why your loved one feels the way he/she does. You might say, "Well, this is just the way I am." You draw a line between yourself and the edge.
Maybe the edge confronts you at work. Your eyes glaze over as you see overwhelming, dense material to learn. You think, "My co-worker will figure this out, I will just learn from her."
Maybe the edge confronts you at 6:30am. You have more energy than normal, but you find excuses to not go for that run. You may find a variety of other things to do with your energy and stay within the predictable quiet hours of the morning.
When we come to the edge, it is tempting to sit back and let life happen as it has in the past.
In yoga, the edge is no different. Life comes blazing at you in a series of complex poses. You have a choice to be victimized and passive as the challenges confront you... or you can nourish the edge. The edge is a place that is just beyond what you know you are capable of doing (or being or thinking). And nourishment of this is a genuine, non-judging acceptance of whatever happens next.
You can sit on your asana and watch everyone else live their lives, OR you can try (just try), even if the result is not perfect —see attached picture for an example ;) The edge is a place where you do not know if you will succeed or you will falter. It is new territory, it is scary, and it is transformative. Nourishment says —it's okay— to be who you are today while entering this new space.
By nourishing the edge you will not only explore new territory, but you will allow yourself to inch closer to new possibilities and a new reality that already resides, albeit unseen, within you.
Apr 24, 2012
e.e. cummings