To make room in your mind to create from your heart. When your mind and heart are friends, beautiful events unfold in your life.
“All true artists, whether they know it or not, create from a place of no-mind, from inner stillness.” — Eckhart Tolle
Meditate. When?
Anytime you have a spare 5 minutes.
Sit. Walk. Rest. Eat. In meditation.
Meditate. How?
Pick a point of interest. Sunrise. Cactus. Your cat. A tree.
Look at it gently and breathe.
“If you want to understand Zen easily, just be mindless, wherever you are, twenty-four hours a day, until you spontaneously merge with the Way. This is what an ancient worthy called ‘the mind not touching things, the steps not placed anywhere.’ ” (Ying-an)
Through meditation you see how…
your mind is to be taught and instructed
While your heart is to be opened and shared
your body is to be moved
and your spirit is to be honoured
Or, count breaths in and out slowly.
Put a timer on to give your mind comfort knowing you will not get ‘stuck’ in meditation or ‘forget to live the rest of your life’ or run late for work.
#thatsit #inspiredliving with the #healingmuse
Need help deciphering your way in life and living mindfully? Book a session
Online, aromatherapy, self guided course. Contact me for more details here
Excerpt from Course modules:
Learn meditation practices to increase mindfulness, reduce stress, improve life balance,
Utilizing the strength and instant power and connection with essential oil aromatics. Teach connection between breath, aromatic use, and mindful focus for increasing healing long term effects and provide practitioners with a multidisciplinary tool to teach clients home coping and home healing methods.
Provide guidance and system for introducing meditation practice and aromatic blending into the practitioner’s healing modalities.
(written for South Etobicoke News, February 2024 Natural Health and Wellness Column)
Heat up this Winter
The coldest day of the year is usually in February and this year is no exception, according to Farmer’s Almanac. When celebrating Valentine’s Day, Chinese New Year, Family Day or just good old Groundhog Day (hoping for early spring anyone?), turn up the heat naturally! To cope with this extra long (that’s right Leap Year!) month, take on the February ‘Turn up the Heat’ challenge.
Did you know that February 29th is celebrated as National Time Refund Day? All your Pisces friends finally get an extra day in their birthday sign to celebrate. On the flip side, who can we blame for adding another day to our winter? With winter dragging on, it is all the more reason to learn how to turn up the heat in our body, the way nature intended.
Heat up, how?
How can you increase your internal heat this winter? And, in turn successfully take on the ‘Turn up the Heat’ challenge?
hot chilies can do the trick – heat up your body in a tasty way!
Heat up this Winter – Way UP
The fastest way to turn up your thermostat is to exercise. But before you groan and dismiss this sage advice, read on. Exercise can be a brisk walk outdoors – yes outdoors. The cold air does the body good. Add on extra steps by skipping the escalator or elevator and do stairs instead. Regular exercise stimulates heat in the body.
You don’t have to become a gym rat.
Just get off the warm, cozy sofa and get all your steps in. Your body generates heat from exercise, any exercise. If you add in some weights, you can increase your metabolism 5 to 15 times your resting metabolic rate. This ‘burn’ continues for several hours in your body, which means you feel warmer overall AND you are also burning more calories. It’s really win-win if you plan on celebrating this month’s festivities with a night out!
Ready to embrace a more radical approach? You could go all in and embrace the coldest month in the coldest way possible: ice baths. Take the polar dip to the next level and dip into a bathtub full of cold water and ice once a week. It may be time for you to join all the Wim Hof lovers out there. Plunging your body into an ice bath or just tolerating a cold shower for 2 minutes activates your brown fat thermostat and turns up the heat. This heat lasts for several hours and help your brown fat respond better and faster. Set the timer and just do it.
Time is on your side. Put the timer on and do it.
Or avoid the agony of freezing baths and…get hotter naturally by creating healthy fat in your body. That’s right I just said make more fat! Choose brown fat. Your body actually contains a very small percentage of brown fat compared to white fat, yet the brown fat (also called brown adipose tissue) is needed to help you stay warm. It is activated in cold temperatures. Studies also suggest that fruits like apples and dried fruits can stimulate the production of brown adipose fat – though the jury is still out on this one. What if…there is another way to reduce white fat and make it more ‘productive’. Read on.
Enhance your thermoregulation in the most enjoyable way: eat your heat. If you have not yet enjoyed Winterlicious, the annual Toronto Festival of Winter Dining is the perfect venue for you. With over 200 restaurants across the GTA offering Prix Fixe (a complete meal at a set price) between January 26 to February 8, there’s no time to lose.
Your Mission is..
Your mission is to turn up your heat by selecting at least 3 restaurants that offer hot, spicy, well seasoned foods! You know, this is a sure fire-way (pun intended) to beat the winter blahs, speed through February and enjoy every moment. For all the foodies out there, you are encouraged to hashtag your favourite Winterlicious meals with #LiciousTO. By the way, February 4th is officially National Homemade soup day. Your bonus health challenge this month is to find a favourite new eatery that serves up the best ‘homemade’ style soup with chilies , cayenne or ginger. Ginger Pho anyone?
Thermogenics anyone?
Spices that heat up your body are called thermogenic. Whether you eat them in a Piquant Pad Thai or enjoy them in a Spicy Matcha Latte, they help your body produce heat through metabolic stimulation. Though there is no magic potion to help you lose weight, increasing thermogenic foods in your diet, combined with regular exercise is the powerhouse combo this February. Hot on the heels of well-intentioned January resolutions, this can be your hottest and healthiest month if you choose wisely. Start with these top heat inducing spices in your every day diet: black pepper, cayenne, ginger, cumin and turmeric.
Need more convincing to spice up your life? Some studies have shown that green tea and spicy chilies (and other foods with capsaicin) may activate thermogenesis or trigger fat oxidation. Oxidation is the browning of white fat. Combine regular exercise with spicy meals and your January resolution to be healthier is guaranteed to be a success.
Turn up the heat and you will have winter beat in no time at all. Let me know how your February ‘Turn up the Heat’ challenge turns out. Email me at monika@healingmuse.com with your experience.
“He who controls the spice controls the universe.” — Frank Herbert
“Black pepper is necessary to absorb the key antioxidants in most spices and foods..” — Steven Gundry
———————
Monika Meulman Intuitive Living Guide – Online Intuitive Healing Sessions Living Zen Workshops @healingmuse
Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness. – Bertrand Russell
Ready to dive into the divine growth of spring?
What is Intuitive Healing?
A meditation based support session designed to invite Inspired Healing on every level. Together, we welcome intentional living and loving, personal acceptance in love, kindness, compassion, and peace within. I have been practicing and developing my body reading skills for over 25 years. I utilize the energetics and plant medicine of reflexology, aromatherapy, meditative breath, body balance and structure, body language in movement, flow and sound.
We can connect online or in-person (locations vary with my travel itinerary every season)
6 SERIES – 6X 1 Hour ONLINE Intuitive Healing Sessions * SAVE $105
$795 + HST
6 SERIES – 6X 1 Hour IN-PERSON Intuitive Healing Sessions * SAVE $205
$1295 + HST
In an Intuitive Healing Session:
You are guided to see better with all your senses
Your body, heart and mind learn to speak well together
We go over the language of your body, heart and mind
Every step of your journey is connected for you
A recording of your session is provided for future learning
A series of homework exercises is provided based on our Exploratory Session time together
You receive a 4-6 week homework study plan to keep learning and expanding your heart, body and mind connection.
Intuitive Healing Discoveries Include One or More of the following:
Body Awareness
breath & space, expansion, how breath opens closed spaces
water = movement & flow, how water promotes changes and helps us move through difficulty and promotes growth
pain = talk & speech of our body, it is our native language which allows us to communicate clearly within our body
The Safety – Fat Storage Our body creates fat for so many reasons and is vital to our survival in many ways
body = map of life, 3 dimensions view, assessment of how our experiences work in our 3 dimensional physical space
Heart Awareness
love vs fear = expansion vs contraction, how do we use these, how do we see them, how we ignore them or forget about them
awareness = responsibility, once we know something not acting on it, when action is required creates destructive patterns in our body, in our lives,
intimacy = awareness + action, taking action on knowledge, wisdom and awareness creates a deep connection within us and also a deep connection to our outside world, our bodies, other living beings.
Road blocks = come as screaming pain, numbness, recurring traumas, must follow Maslow’s guide for basic survival, then move upward to higher satisfaction levels of learning
Safety Zones = FAT, fat loss, toxin storage, exposure, surrender, allowing, comfort, the truth in needing.
Mind Awareness
Balance = work & play, mind, body & spirit, external vs internal worlds
Moving Forward = building passion, building desire, creating goals, practicing discipline, establishing new patterns & habits, compassion growth to self
101 ways to practice self-care, body reading, life balance tips. ex. red lights pauses, long lines, sitting & waiting, wrong orders
Changes – physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, how to deal with them
Rest vs Action – when to act & give, when to rest & receive
Resistance vs Flow – when to work with pressure, when to step aside
A leap of faith is the best New Year resolution for you. This year honour yourself with a resolution that is sensible, ambitious and achievable.
Taking a leap of faith requires no actual time or money. It is literally a resolution of belief in something: FAITH. It is elemental in pursuing excellence, success or goals on any level.
Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark.
– Rabindranath Tagore
What is a leap of faith if not a beginning into the unknown.
As January unfolds so does a brand new year. We learn to celebrate the last day of each year since ‘we made it through’, some of us with flying colours (What does that even mean? The idiom comes from nautical terminology and refers to times when ships would return home to safety with their flags flying in the wind). By that token, January 1st presents us the great uncharted territory of this new year. Undeniably, we all set sail on the seas of a new year together.
Time is the great equalizer. None of us can set sail on a new day before anyone else.
Want a New Year Resolution that really makes sense? (but does not lean on facts) : Take a leap of faith. I’ll tell you why. Hundreds of programs teach you how to improve your life and this month they are marketing to you, with glitz, glamour, discounts, value ads and all kinds of promises.
“Come get this, buy this, enjoy this, get better with this”.
And on and on it goes. Then, how do you choose which program, latest diet or nutritional supplement will help you get healthy or sleep better? What podcast teaches you the fastest, where do you need to focus your energy?
pausing to breathe in life on top of Bear Wallow Mountain. Toulie and The Healing Muse, lead by example.
Who knows the way?
you must allow time for the view to clear
you must make space for new paths on your life journey
you must invite the way to come to you
When our New Year resolution revolves around a healthy new habit, most of us fail. We fail to follow through on new actions, well because they are new. Often, we fail to reach our goal. Let’s be honest, that’s not a good way to start this year.
Faith is here to save the day (err, year).
When we have faith, we choose to believe we can do something. Action is the key to success. With faith, we also have the strength to believe we can be someone different today than we were yesterday. That is a crucial step in achieving our goal, any goal. In a 2009 JSTOR journal article on Faith and Goodness (by J.E.R. Staddon, Duke University) “Science…cannot tell us what to value[JS & MH may not agree], just how to get it”. In other words, our faith and belief system dictates what we value and the facts around us, the programs, the workshops, the myriad of ‘get better’ options just show us how.
If you don’t believe you can do it…’just do it’ doesn’t usually work.
Without faith in your life, you may feel lost at sea when help isn’t close at hand. To step confidently into this new year, practice faith daily.
How to practice building your faith?
Follow these three steps, action steps.
Clearly write out your belief. ‘I believe I can walk more than 10000 steps a day. I have faith in me’
Set aside 2x a day, everyday when you sit and remind yourself of your faith. Draw on your belief in spiritual origins, your religion, your culture or nature. This is usually in the form of a journal, prayer and/or meditation.
Allow your connection to your spiritual community, religious group or tribe to support you daily, weekly, monthly in meetings and events. Growing your community grows your faith.
taking time to sit with your steps and journalling is worth a thousand and one words.
Note that faith AND action are needed to pursue a target or a goal.
Set your resolution to be: I believe in faith religiously. FAITH and RELIGIOUSLY I pair together to get your attention. Faith is not religion and religion is not faith. They complement each other. To adopt an action religiously means ‘in a regular manner’, choosing this new habit regularly, regardless of feeling, inspiration or motivation. We choose it because we believe we must. That is the fundamental pillar of any goal oriented program.
Whether we have Faith in a particular religion or in nature, or even in science does not matter. What matters is that we cultivate Faith. Just like cultivating compassion helps it grow, nourishing and choosing our faith regularly strengthens it.
With faith in our hearts, or by our side (wherever we choose to keep it) we can excel. Faith is the compass direction for our next step. Before you take on yet another New Year Resolution, I ask you: what do you believe? Do you believe in yourself? How will you define your faith today?
In that answer you will find your ideal first step toward your goal. Cultivate faith today and every day this month and you can guarantee yourself a successful beginning in the year 2024.
Faith is building on what you know is here so you can reach what you know is there. – Cullen Hightower
Monthly natural health and wellness column written for South Etobicoke News. Would you like a natural health focus in your next newsletter, workshop or marketing news? Email me for collaborations, projects, articles.
Learning awareness is not all that natural, but it is learned. We tend to move toward automation and reducing awareness over time. Learning awareness is a practice that we cultivate. A practiced awareness is a skill we use in every aspect of our life. No breath is ever wasted – it brings life. Likewise, no moment dedicated to increasing awareness is every wasted – it brings richness to our life.
Where does learning awareness begin? here (read instructions below)
It begins at the beginning. To get there: Simplify simplify simplify clarify clarify clarify
zen mind is not empty,
it is simply free flowing
it allows us to be aware of the thoughts passing through like cars on a highway.
Learning awareness allows this to be
– The Healing Muse
What is awareness?
the state or condition of being aware; having knowledge; consciousness
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/awareness
Where does awareness begin?
Our heart is the driving force of who we are. But our mind governs what we choose day to day. Let us begin at the beginning. We begin by looking into our mind. How? We look within and take a moment to pause and look around. Simple, profound, doable. All that is needed is: time
Begin at the beginning.
I ask you to step as far back to the beginning as you possibly can, from a simple daily chore. Look at something like washing a simple dish or folding your favourite sweater or brushing your hair. Choose one as a starting point for practising the simplest, most familiar and natural behaviour pattern within you. Do it. Slower. Again with more attention. Attention is the gateway to awareness. Practicing and learning awareness begins like this.
Do it daily.
Need a helping hand?
No matter what path you are on in life, at times you need a helping hand. You benefit from opening to a new way. You thrive by allowing a shift in perspective. It is possible to excel with additional insight. Choose to live inspired with an introspective moment. ——- Let’s do it together. Learn awareness, listening and growth with me, your life guide, an intuitive healer. Simply here to provide insight into your version of Inspired Living.
is the perfect recipe for Sangria Sunshine and delight in a glass! You must try this Iced Tea with a Twist, created by The Healing Muse
Send us a photo of your favourite iced tea with flowers and iced tea ice cubes, when you try this how to guide.
We’ve added fuschias, daisies, begonias, geranium, lavender, rosehip flower & white purple clematis to ours.
ICED TEA WITH FLOWERS RECIPE
CHOOSE YOUR FAVOURITE TEA/TISANE/HERB
BREW ACCORDING TO TEMPERATURE AND TIME (SEE QUICK REFERENCE AT THE BOTTOM OF OUR BLOG POST)
STRAIN (IF USING FRESH OR DRIED LOOSE PLANT MATERIAL)
COOL IN THE FRIDGE
COLLECT YOUR FAVOURITE EDIBLE FLOWERS (SEE MORE HOW-TO BELOW)
POUR SOME OF YOUR BREWED TEA INTO ICE CUBE TRAY
ADD IN A FEW SELECT FLOWERS INTO THE ICE CUBE TRAY
FREEZE
ADD YOUR GORGEOUS, COLOURFUL ICED TEA ICE CUBES TO YOUR TEAS
GARNISH WITH AN EDIBLE FLOWER STALK, CINNAMON, HONEY STICK OR SUGARED SPOON
Pro tip for the Perfect Edible flowers:
Edible flowers must be organic (grow your own! or share with your neighbhours)
Always avoid flowers from locations with herbicides, pesticides, sprays, nurseries, hybrid show flowers,
Growing your own edible flowers from seed – connect with seed libraries, like Toronto West: LEGS (Lakeshore Environmental Gardening Society online seed library, to get safe seeds)
Pro tip for iced tea cubes with flowers:
You can also add mint, basil, rosemary, or any of your favourite garden herbs!
As the ice thaws, it will slowly change the flavour profile of your drink, making every sip fun and exciting!
Did you know: If you’re using your herbal ice cubes for fresh iced tea or sangria, add tea to your ice cube tray for less dilution once melted.
herbal tea iced tea ice cubes with flowers step: use ice tray with your favourite flower & brewed tea
Steep the perfect cup of iced tea with our iced tea ice cubes recipe this summer!
Iced Tea with Flowers – try these
A list of our favourite edible wild flowers is:
Calendula & Echinacea
Day Lily & Wild Roses
Chamomile & Mint
Iced Tea Sangria: Iced Tea Ice Cubes are the Secret!
We profile the rich, golden hues of Blue Crane Tea, from Misty Mountain Tea Company. It is perfect for herbal blending with Blue Cornflower for that herb rich flavour in your next Exotic Sangria!
All the references above create a web of belief that time is something we must abide by.
the clock is ticking you know?
Life in the fast lane waits for no none.
For the September issue of South Etobicoke News, I reframe my philosophy on life and my 3 basic rules to live by. If life is a highway, how do you rest, nourish and love?
Of course (as the song goes), you are going to ride it all night long, if life is a highway.
Once you stop, that’s the end of the line (as another song goes).This September, I’m thinking about driving the highways of the GTA, the 401 highway series across Canada and all the roads beyond. We are all on a journey, but end of August and beginning of September marks a very special time for many. As our families grow and children get older, we send them off to school. Our youngsters grow even older, the schools get bigger and are further away.
So if life is a highway, figuratively (and for many of us literally, much of our life is spent on the highway) what lane are you in? If you like to mix it up and adjust your speed, change lanes once in a while: I’m with you. Let’s adjust to the scenery, enjoy the company of life and take in the sights. I get it; some people really love travelling as fast as possible from point A to point B. To what end, I wonder. The faster you travel in life, the less you can immerse yourself in life. A friend of mine has a motto: I will sleep when I am dead.
What’s your life motto?
I abide by these 3 life rules: you must rest you must be nourished and you must love
Rest is essential – that’s a non-negotiable number one rule for me. Without adequate rest, you can never function optimally. Numerous studies have proven that taking breaks on long work days or study days, actually improves your productivity, reduces stress levels and increases your creative problem solving skills. You get more done in less time. That motto ‘I’ll sleep when I’m dead’ doesn’t hold up well in the science lab, in the fast lane of life nor on the race track. Even the fastest race cars take precise pit stops to recoup, revive and replenish. Basically, everything needs down time. And, the greater the performance, the greater the rest usually is.
The second ‘must-follow’ life rule is nourishment.
That may seem so obvious to you since we all need to eat. When I mention nourishment, I mean food, liquids (water or fancier aromatically brewed options), oxygen (bare minimum requirement for life) and also food for your mind, nourishment for your heart. When we choose to nourish our minds, we welcome learning, expanding our knowledge and wisdom. That’s what makes this highway of life theme ideal for the September Wellness. Back to school prep is in full swing. Whether you are choosing courses in college, your favourite lane on the highway to get home from errands, or simply selecting your workout playlist on Spotify, you are nourishing your heart and mind.
Or not. Right?
what lane are you in?
When you choose poorly, your drive home may suck. It may be the grungy, polluted way home, but it’s fast. Or you may be stuck with take out pizza from the so-so chain down the street, because it’s quick and easy. This brings to mind another favourite motto of mine: eating well is a form of self respect. This September, on the highway of life, choose well. Consider your options before committing to convenience or speed over flavour, spices, or depth of experience.
Lastly, you must have love in your life. You must love. Without sharing your love, your life will feel like driving on cruise control. You are moving: but not really there, are you. How do we share our love? Talk with a friend about your new favourite song or dessert dish. Smile at the crossing guard the first week of school. Take a moment to compliment the local store clerk on their skills or something you notice that’s exceptional. Your moment of observation, kind words, sharing your connection with someone are the smallest, simplest act of kindness and love. It helps you grow. It helps the other person grow. Your life exponentially improves and it has nothing to do with how fast you must go.
Whether you choose to live metal to the pedal or stop and smell all the roses, this September I encourage you to examine what’s your preferred speed. Vary it up a bit. After all, variety is the spice of life. If life is a highway, I want you to live it fully everyday, in every lane. Choose to learn at every intersection, merge with care and love your experience deeply. The truth is: None of us know, when we will run out of fuel.
Eating kale saves you money, grows a healthier you and supports your local community.
Join Monika Meulman, a wellness leader and natural health teacher, on a nutritious journey examining many recent developments in the world of nutrition and nutritional medicine.
Planet Friendly Workshop Includes:
Practical experience
hands-on instruction
taste-testing fresh foods
learning to get your hands dirty in the home garden and more!
Practical, hands-on instruction, taste-testing fresh foods, learning to get your hands dirty in the home garden and more!
This workshop is created for our Earth, your well-being and a healthy wallet. We go over natural wellness basics such as: Shopping with a healthy groceries list; planning meals that save you time and money; what it looks like to be optimally healthy, while choosing green, sustainable and manageable food sources in our every day, and take home a green sample.
Moon Medicine Circle this April focuses on Grow and Flow of Spring. Planted seeds of love, beauty and great adventures are sprouting.
as spring blooms, so our hearts warm with the rising sun. take this moment to breathe in a loving, radiant thought. a thought that fills, soothes and comforts every last bit of you.
Grow Your Inner Garden & Flow with Grace
“Your mind is a garden. Your thoughts are the seeds.You can grow flowers or you can grow weeds. ”
~ Anonymous
OurEarth Steward Credo
1- No breath is ever wasted.
2 – No touch is ever wasted.
3 – No step is ever wasted.
So much is in Bud!!
Your breath is the flow of nourishment within. And movement is the rooting of your new growth. So growth is awareness arising to the heavens. Your awareness expands your heart, growing compassion for all that is.
Celebration Circle – Flow and Grow
We are delighted to invite you to celebrate Mother Earth Day to bring our authentic selves in service to ourselves, each other and all sentient life blossoming.
Patanjali’s System of Knowledge
Patanjali’s system of knowledge teaches us that our words and actions, and the thoughts that preceded them, and the waves of perception that preceded those, are all born from the most subtle of seeds. The seeds, called Sanskars, get planted in the gardens of our minds through many things. For example, our family lineage, our education, our experiences, and societal conditioning all serve as planted gardens.
Actually, we know that seeds, given the right conditions, will eventually sprout. And, like that reach through the layers of soil before it enter the daylight, so sanskar will embed itself through many layers until it becomes a visible flower.
Sanskars
So how can something as subtle as a seed pierce through all of these layers?
We will use the framework of the Chakra’s to support the nurturing of our inner gardens. The Chakras are like different elements or aspects of a garden and in order to grow a beautiful abundant garden we need all the chakras to be flowing with Grace and in balance.
Each chakra energy has a physical, material experience. Let us explore this with a vision and movement. Growing from the ground, the roots up to the skies and stars.
You will learn about Flower Essence and Plant Medicine that nourishes our bodies and aligns with the Chakras with lifestyle practices that ground and embodies our Celestial Soul.
Did you know: You are a living Garden of Eden! When we flow with Grace we can transform and create that which our heart desires.
We’ll guide you in an inner journey that your heart and soul desires to nurture, grow, blossom and transform.
It’s time. Let’s rise out of the muddy waters into a radiant lotus 🙂
Together we will grow beautiful gardens within ourselves, our community and ultimately co-create Heaven on Earth.
Event Date
When: SUNday, April 23rd , 2023
Following a powerful New Moon total Solar Eclipse in Aries (fire sign). This Eclipse is illuminating mastery over the self and having the courage to face our shadow side.It is a crucial time for long lasting change to occur.
C. sinensis var. assamica)
