If you are dealing with feelings of “Meh” and can identify it as a form of irritation (a low level form of anger), nourishing the root chakra and yin yoga poses associated with the liver and gallbladder meridians might be helpful to you. Now if this is sounding too esoteric, let’s dive deeper into what this all may mean in more granular terms and what to do about it…
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Updated Online Classes for April 2020
in Digestion, Intentions, Meditation, Restoration, Sleep, yoga
Pranayama & Posture
Want to improve your posture and shift your mood? To do that, we got to develop muscle-mind connections that will expand and challenge your body awareness and consciousness. My class will help you change the way you move and to get in touch with muscles and deep desires you didn't know you had. Click here to sign up!
assclass
Want to reach higher levels of strength? To do that, we got to develop muscle-mind connections that will expand and challenge your body awareness. My class will help you change the way you move and to get in touch with muscles you didn't know you had.
We will go over mobility, strength, breath work, and mind-muscle exercises to get your ass stronger using a holistic approach. Click here to sign up!
Community Yoga Nidra
We will do some gentle yoga exercises followed by a guided meditation. Afterwards, there will an interactive discussion for those interested. Click here to sign up!
Sliding scale for all classes is $10-$20. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. To make a donation, you can Venmo me @angeles-rios or PayPal me using angeles@angelesrios.com to make a donation.
Look at those cute whiskers that are made up of collagen!
Collagen - The Protein That Helps Make You Get Stronger, Sleep Better, and Feel Better The Next Day.
in Sleep, nutrition, Inflammation
Collagen is important for the structure and strength of your bones, cartilage, blood
vessels, and skin. Taking collagen may reduce joint pain and improve joint mobility, along with improving the appearance of skin.
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Pureed Sweet Potatoes
in Recipe, nutrition, AIP Reintroduction, AIP, Sleep
Pureed Sweet Potatoes
Serves 8-9 people
3-4 Cleaned Sweet Potatoes (you can use other potatoes, like Yukon, here too)
4-5 tbsp Coconut Oil (duck fat works here too)
1/4 tsp of Sea Salt
Set-up the pressure Cooker as a steamer. If you don't have a steamer or pressure cooker, boil the sweet potatoes for 30 minutes.
Place 3-4 medium sized sweet potatoes in the pressure cooker (I prefer Hannah or Japanese Sweet Potatoes).
Steam at high pressure for about 20 minutes.
Turn off pressure cooker.
Let the pressure cooker cooker cool off.
Remove lid and peel off the skin of the sweet potatoes. If potatoes are too hot, run them through cold water or place them to the side and allow them to cool for another 10 minutes. Then peel the skin off the sweet potatoes.
In a saucepan, place coconut oil and allow it to melt to a liquid. Turn off the heat.
Place peeled potatoes in the saucepan.
Use potato masher to cream coconut oil with potatoes.
Once the mixture feels and looks like a purée, add sea salt to taste.
Liver Support Shot
After writing an article about how to support your liver function, I wanted to include some recipes related to liver support. One of my favorite recipes for liver support is a shot that includes ginger, turmeric, lemon juice, licorice, and lemon peels.
For folks who have an autoimmune condition and are TH2 dominant, you may want to remove turmeric from the ingredients. For more information about why, please click here.
Personally, I like to have at least 2 shots of this drink before meals. Now give it a try! And remember to let me know what you think!
Ingredients
2.5 cups filtered water for the fresh ginger version; 2 cups for the ginger tea bag version
2 tbsp peeled (optional) and cubed ginger or 4 ginger tea bags
1 tablespoon turmeric powder or fresh turmeric
4 lemon peels from a full lemon
1 freshly squeezed lemon (optional)
2 licorice tea bags (optional)
Directions
Boil or pressure cook the freshly sliced ginger for a full 30 minutes. Turn off the heat.
If you are using ginger tea bags, add the ginger tea bags after the water has come to a boil. Allow the ginger tea bags to sit for 8-10 minutes with the rest of the ingredients (turmeric and licorice)}.
If you are using a pressure cooker, use fresh ginger or dried loosed ginger. Add the turmeric at this time too.
Add the licorice tea bags when it is near the time (around 5 minutes) to serve.
Pour the mixture into 4 shot glasses. Add the lemon peels. Wait for the liquid to cool to your drinking preference.
5 Ways To Minimize Jet Lag
Lack of restorative sleep time can have a huge impact on your wellbeing. During this time of year - with travels and holiday festivities - your normal sleeping pattern may have been thrown off. Because getting restorative sleep can be hard during this period, I thought I would do some research on what science has to say about the impact of jet lag on circadian rhythms and more. I collected a lot of great information, but wanted to keep the list short for this post. With the intention of being succinct, I am sharing with you 5 evidence-based approaches to help you recover and minimize the effects of feeling jet lag and changes in your circadian rhythm. May you rest better after reading these tips!
1. Expose yourself to natural light during the morning
Natural light can help you rebalance your circadian rhythms by exposing yourself to blue light. Additionally, being exposed to ultraviolet light can help your skin produce vitamin D - a natural anti-inflammatory chemical. Two great reasons to go for a walk or to work outdoors in the morning!
2. Take a warm shower or bath in the evening
Research has shown that lower environmental temperatures at night may help prepare the body for sleep. The drop in your body temperature after taking a warm shower or bath may help induce sleep.
3. Minimize your exposure to blue light for at least 2 hours before sleep
Commit to not using any electronic devices that emit blue light close to bedtime. Blue light can stimulate your nervous system, so that it is harder to go asleep. You can use a free program called f.lux on your computer, if you cannot help but use your electronic devices. You can also buy amber glasses, like Gunnars, to do the same trick.
4. Practice meditation and yoga
Research has shown certain forms of meditations and yoga may help with sleep by increasing melotonin levels. Melatonin is a powerful antioxidant and seems to help trigger restorative sleep. If you want a guided meditation practice, you can check out one of my youtube meditation sessions or practice the below meditation practice. Otherwise, practice something you already know. Note: keep it simple and practical since you are already jet lagged, in other words feeling stressed out.
Breath and Attention Meditation Exercise
Feel free to sit or be in any position that feels comfortable to you. You are welcome to have your eyes closed or opened (with opened eyes make sure you are facing something like a plain wall to minimize your distractions).
1. Inhale 1, exhale 1
2. Inhale 2, exhale 2
3. Inhale 3, exhale 3
Repeat up to 21 times. If you lose count, start over again. You can use a timer and set it for seven minutes. In general, 15-20 minutes of meditation a day is supported by research to reduce stress. I recommend starting with what you already practice. If you have never meditated before, start with maybe 5 breaths or 1 minute of meditation. Over time, you will develop your meditation muscles and be able to practice longer and reap more benefits from your practice.
5. Improve your digestion
With changes in circadian rhythms, metabolism can be disrupted (ex. liver metabolism, bile function, and fat digestion). Make sure you chew your food thoroughly to promote better digestion and to balance the lag in your digestive organs. Avoid or reduce your alcohol intake as well.
References:
Yetish, G., Kaplan H., Gurven M., Wood B., Pontzer, H., Manger P.R., Wilson C., McGregor R., Siegel J.M. Natural Sleep and Its Seasonal Variations in Three Pre-Industrial Societies. Current Biology, November 2015, 25(21): 2862-8.
Smolensky, M.H., Sackett-Lundeen L.L., Portaluppi F. Noctunal Light Pollution and Underexposure to Daytime Sunlight: Complementary Mechanishms of Circadian Disruption and Related Diseases. Chronobiology International, October 2015 32(8): 1029-48
Tooley, G. A., S. M. Armstrong, T. R. Norman, and A. Sali. Acute increases in night- time plasma melatonin levels following a period of meditation. Biological Psychology, May 2000, 53(1):69-78.
Ge W, Chen G, Ding Y-T. Effect of chewing gum on the postoperative recovery of gastrointestinal function. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine. 2015;8(8):11936-11942.
Simple and Powerful Grounding Technique!
in Meditation, Sleep, Restoration
Have you ever noticed your hands and feet being cold, your heart racing, or that your inner critic is taking too much space? I have. Sometimes it could be a reaction to something I ate (ex. sugar or a food intolerance) or a message from my subconscious that something wants more processing (ex. Is SF or Portland a better city?). Typically, practicing some type of mindfulness practice or breath work helps calm my nervous system so that I can feel more grounded and connected to the present moment. With this type of centering, I can get back to whatever I was doing with more ease. Sometimes this type of mindful breathing practice is not enough. If that is the case, please read my next blog post. Next time, I will talk about other grounding practices that I do when mindful breath work is not enough for me. In the meantime, please check out my video on alternate nostril breathing!