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An unconventional meditation
I am not the type to sit quietly and cultivate stillness. I understand all of the reasons why I am supposed to, all the benefits for mind/body health. And yet, any time I have tried to sit peacefully for an extended period of time, what I end up with is a back in spasm and an anxious brain. So what is a quasi-enlightened person to do? Find another way. This is the first half hour of my day: When I emerge from my little cabin in the morning, I get a few supplies ready, pull on my boots and walk across the property to the animals. It is early and…
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Quiet/Noisy Life
This life is full of contradictions. The one that I am thinking of today has to do with noise and what that means to us. Because it is never quiet here: the river rushes steadily below us, the cicadas sing in the rainforest, the rain cascades unrelentingly through the leaves. The birds are calling, and every shift in the sky or weather is greeted enthusiastically by my over-zealous rooster. All this, plus a 4 year old with a personality many sizes too large for him who doesn’t stop talking even in his sleep. And yet, despite the constant noise that surrounds me, I appreciate the quiet of this life. That…
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5 reasons why your holistic business is failing (and how to fix it!)
You have mistaken ‘holistic’ for ‘unprofessional’. Holistic business means a business model that touches all aspects of your life and is more personal and vulnerable than the corporate model. It allows for you to make some of your own rules. It does not mean that you don’t need proper licenses or training, or that you are above traditional business methodology. You can skip shoes, but not pants, know what I mean? Show your clients respect. You haven’t properly defined your business. What I mean by this is that you haven’t taken the time to sit down and really think about what your business offers and who you want to attract.…
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Why SK Magazine?
Why put together a magazine? I love to write. When I was a little kid, I figured I would be a poet and fiction writer when I grew up. When I was in high school and began to understand that poetry may not be a lucrative field, I decided I was going to be a journalist. That career path was unceremoniously tossed aside when I fell in love with the natural health world, but I have always kept my toes in it. Over the years I have written for newspapers, magazines and websites as a freelancer, usually on the topic of health and wellness, trying to demystify subjects like kinesiology…
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Wandering Herbalist: Mamon (Rambutan)
Medicinal plants, fruit: Mamon The fruit stacked high on the table at the market looks almost alien. Spiky, with little barbs radiating outward, bright red and about the size of a ping-pong ball; here in Costa Rica, this fruit is known as mammon, though in Asia it is better known as rambutan. Don’t be fooled by its’ strange appearance – it is delicious. And at this time of year when it is in season, it is ridiculously cheap and can be found everywhere. There was a lady selling bags on the side of the highway out of the back of her truck today; one kilo for one mil colones (just…
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Best Supplements for Everyday and Someday
I often see people grumpily pacing the aisles of Health Food Stores, bewildered by the sheer vastness of selection. When I give presentations to large groups, inevitably someone will ask during the Q & A “What supplements do you take?” I believe that supplements fall into three categories: the first are the things that you take every day for maintenance and general good health, second are things that you take for a specific length of time to address a certain issue and then don’t need again, and the third are things that you should keep on hand for occasions when they are needed. Think of it like your spice rack…
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3 Herbs to start Wildcrafting
Tis the season for wildcrafting. If this is a term you are unfamiliar with, ‘wildcrafting’ means to find medicinal and culinary herbs and plants in their natural habitat and harvest them in a sustainable (read: not picking every last flower or enraging the Lorax) way. I am lucky enough to live in the Central Okanagan in an area where two ecosystems brush up against each other; one being desert like, and the other a wet rich cedar forest. Between these two areas there are many medicinal plants to be found, most of which people think of as weeds. While it can be dangerous to simply start picking and eating plants…
