Beauty, Wellness, Recipes, Food
So many times people who loved me told me no. I expressed something I wanted to do, a goal, a dream. Then came the reasons why it was not possible, practical, prudent, or acceptable. Unfortunately, the person who told me no most often was me. This too is true for many of my clients and women I encounter in group programs.
Why do we disapprove of ourselves so willingly? Partly it’s an internalization of what is expected of us. We also naturally seek what is familiar and safe. Our desires by definition lead us into unfamiliar territory with the risk of failure or disappointment. We are so used to looking after others and the needs of friends and family, that we easily dismiss doing anything which may jeopardize their acceptance and conflict with their needs. To be truthful - there are expectations of us - but not as many as we think. Write down something you wish to do or wish to have now. Then write down all the expectations that are blocking you. In my own life, when I wanted to return to work after being a stay at home mom for 14 years, I had a list of why I couldn’t. The kids needed me to be available, what if they got sick and needed to stay home, how will I fit in all the extracurriculars, how could I continue my routine of self care which would demand more time when I was already taking time away to work. Basically, I was disapproving of my desire out of fear that my children would see me as a bad mom. Most expectations are like a mirage. We feel internally like we are expected to do something or be available for someone, but in reality most people are in support of our happiness, can accommodate change, and are willing to support you in living a full life. You must support you too! My children were actually fine. They knew how to tend for themselves more than I realized. Sick days were few and manageable. And, they loved the happiness and joy it brought me. All the apprehension I had was simply my internal resistance based in fear and judgement. Expanding yourself frequently triggers a no. We internally say no because we feel underprepared, undeserving, or not enough. When I feel this, I stop and approve of my desire and my fears. To do this, I follow the subsequent steps. I acknowledge my feelings and resistance. I am thankful for them. I affirm that I can only desire to do that which was made for me or I was made for it. Desires arise from your heart. I approve of my heart desires. I examine them to see if there is anything to learn from the “nos” I feel. For example, one thing that helped the transition was streamlining life by decluttering both space and schedules. I spend time feeling into how good it feels or will feels in the experience of that desire. Then I choose one small action to take in the direction of my dream. This gentle path will guide you forward. Skin care begins with what you are eating and how you treat your skin every morning and night. Sunday I began a 3 day jolieLife juice cleanse with the prescriptive intention of boosting glow, skin elasticity, and firmness. I wanted to share what plants I use to support beautiful skin and how plants can be used in skincare.
The plants I eat to build beautiful skin are: Maca is an ancient Peruvian root which has been used medicinally for 2000 years to promote overall vitality. For the skin, it helps protect against UV damage and increase elasticity. Tocos is soluble rice bran which is exceptionally high in vitamin E - an antioxidant which improves skin clarity, moisture, eczema, and psoriasis; vitamin E is also key in combating oxidative stress - one of the key factors that affect the speed of wrinkle formation. Carrots, beets, oranges, blood oranges are high in Vitamin A which converts to retinol and beta-carotene in the body. I prefer to eat my retinol - it is more effective with none of the negative side effects of topical retinol. Beta-carotene builds natural glow that no highlighter can produce. Dark leafy vegetables and sea vegetables provide chlorophyll which not only increases your energy, but helps resolve breakouts and reduces inflammation. Skin irritation, redness, scarring, and uneven skin tones are the result of skin inflammation. Turmeric is a super powerful anti-inflammatory. I use it not only in cooked food, but pressed juices, smoothies, and elixirs. Turmeric is easily broken down by the liver, so daily use is best. I use fresh turmeric as well as dried turmeric. Skin Routine for Your Best Skin I use plants throughout my skin care. Matcha and Honey I routinely use for a face mask. The matcha reduces inflammation, brightens the skin, and provides topical antioxidants. Honey is the perfect pair to the matcha - it deeply moisturizes the skin and prevents breakouts with its antibacterial action. Morning and evening skin care is absolutely necessary. Usually my evening routine is more involved because I have less time in the morning. However, create your routine to work within your time constraints. Evening - I exfoliate/cleanse with a clay and botanical or honey based cleanser. I allow the cleanser to stay on for 5-10 minutes as a mini nourishing mask to detoxify and purify my skin. I then tone with plant essences and moisturize with plant oils like those found in Pomona face oil. Morning - the routine is similar with the exception of a simple oil based cleanse followed by plant essences and oil based moisturizer. The products I use vary based on the season and what my skin needs in the moment. For summer, clay works better to keep my pores clear, mineral sunscreen is a must, and a few drops of the Pomona face oil keeps me moisturized. Love, Julia xo P.S. Whenever caring for you face do not forget your neck and chest - with neglect they do not age well. By eating jolieLife you are doing more good than you realize, you are participating in the amazing work that goes on at Lani Farm for the earth and humanity.
Yesterday I toured the main farm that supplies us wth vegetables and fruits. The tour could not have come at a better time - a gift I needed. I choose all the suppliers for jolieLife based on their farming practices and the spirit of the people because I want jolieLife food to feed your body, but also in doing so, to be an act of good in the world and to the earth. I encountered Lani farm at the Union Square Farmers’ Market and have been receiving food from Lani Farm since jolieLife started, but I had not gone to the farm. Yesterday’s tour was proof that you can draw to yourself exactly your perfect match. Lani Farm was created by Steve and Dusan - Steve began farming in Korea and Dusan in the former Yugoslavia. They are both a gift - passionate, innovative, and forces of good. First off, all the farming practices go further than organic requirements and are kind to the earth. The farm itself is as self sustaining as possible producing it’s own compost, mulch, and water sources. The prepared Korean food and flours they sell are all with vegetables grown on the farm - if they don’t grow it, they do not sell it. Vegetables are grown in mixed communities of plants so that pests are kept at bay, soil nutrients are built up, and plants are allowed to grow as strongly as possible. This all means more nutrition in your food. The plant varieties are chosen for health, performance, and taste - many of them heirlooms. For example, they grow ancient wheat. Un-genetically modified wheat has extremely low yields. But it tastes better, and is better digested by the body. Crops are constantly rotated, cover crops are turned into the soil to maintain and improve soil health with each planting, fields are allowed to rest. This practice, even in organic farms, is frequently ignored in favor of higher profits. But more than anything, the will to do good is so evident. There is a pervasive desire to work in cooperation with the earth, the individuals who work on the farm are provided with amazing housing and leisure spaces that reflect their worth and value as equal human beings - most farms provide what I consider sub-humane living conditions. And, this is the pièce de résistance, the farm is in the process of constructing a retreat space, a housing community for the elderly, and low income housing where Lani Farm absorbs all housing expenses for the people living there. And, within the farm is farmland allocated for growing crops purely for donation to food pantries, I know of other farms that donate their surplus, but this level of generosity is unmatched The spirit and actions of generosity and social responsibility were exactly what I needed when the world looks so dark with Covid, financial crisis, and the murder of George Floyd. There is still a lot of light and love in the world. And when we desire to be a force of love and light, we often are already in cooperation with love in ways we do not even realize. Love, Julia xo Staying centered and happy is necessary as the anchor of the family. Moms do set the tone of the house and of experiences, even for adult children sheltering at home during quarantine.
My meditation practice is my own anchor and is what keeps me joyful and hopeful during all the ups and downs of the last few months. However, it has changed a lot during quarantine. I find myself resistant to doing a sitting mediation and moving has been the key for me. I think because life has gotten slower, sitting is not the relief it once was. We are more seeking things to do than paring down the activities of our lives. My alternative meditations have me meditating far more these last months than I did in “normal life.”
Love, Julia xo P.S.Tea has the added benefit of being a strong antioxidant. It keeps mind, cells, and skin glowing. The challenge derailed yesterday. I planned a love drive to create more positive energy. I planned an amazing meal day - jolieLife. Instead, I procrastinated on the love drive and chose to eat what the kids had for lunch which left me feeling heavy, instead of light and refreshed. In the evening I was left me asking myself why was I so resistant to pleasure?
The love drive always leave me feeling wonderful and eating a scrumptious salad is heaven to me. Why do we resist pleasure? To define a love drive: they are short, 10-15 minute drives by myself to focus on what I love. I spend the time saying aloud what I love. It is a wonderful practice. It makes you glow! My self examination revealed I did the things that seemed like work, but undervalued the aspects of the challenge that were pleasure. It is a common theme. However, I am certain if I had done the pleasure, the work would have been easier and I would have felt very happy and satisfied at the end of the day because I would have done the things that feed my soul. So today, I vowed to leave nothing on the table - to do the pleasure. Result: I am writing this because I feel energized from eating well, spending time in meditation, and taking my Masterclasses. On top of that, I had more energy, focus, and efficiency in doing the tasks of the day. Lesson learned: do pleasure first and you fuel everything else. with light + love, Julia Today I begin a 60 day challenge for myself.
I want to spend the next 60 days dedicated to meditation, diving deeper into positive thought patterns, gardening, physical movement and exercise, creative pursuits, and exclusive plant based eating. I decided to count down, so today is 60/60. Today I struggled with my chosen workout - the Class. Before opening jolie I would frequently attend the Class in Tribeca and, then, Flatiron. It is a magical blend of physical, spiritual, and soul work. I stood a long time in judgement of my choice because it was not non-stop cardio which has been my routine for awhile. Am I wasting my time? Maybe I should just row? Ok, I will row after this - these were my thoughts, until I felt my body. I could feel the energy flowing beneath the skin. I decide to fall into it. Actually, it was an answer to prayer. In my other workouts, the movements are small, the spaces confined. For the first time in a long time, I was asked to be big, to take up more space, to stretch and use as much space as I could. This falls right in line with my meditation intention to increase my aura. I felt like I had worked out, meditated, and gone to church by the time it was done. Join me, spend some time in meditation. Ask yourself what you would like to experience or focus on for the next 60 days. Decide one thing to do tomorrow aligned with your intention. with light, Julia We are fighting coronavirus now. My hope in all this uncertainty is that it will focus our attention to how important our immune system is. Now and always, when our immune system falters it is an open door to infection. That is why washing our hands and social distancing is not enough, we have to keep our immune system healthy.
We are trying to protect ourselves and those that our vulnerable. The danger to older people is evidence of the decline that happens in our immune system as we age. It is interesting to read the science on this. It is clear that our immune system declines. The question is why? Is this a consequence of aging - a natural progression? Or is there another factor at play here? Under-nutrition is an important factor. In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it was found that increasing the daily servings of fruits and vegetables from 3 to at least 5 servings a day created an 82% greater production of protective antibodies in adults over 65. Antibodies are the very, very specific immune agents the body creates for each individual pathogen. This change happened in a matter of weeks. Decrease in immune system function is heavily influenced by nutrition. So, in light of COVID-19, you can start turning the tide now with more fruits and vegetables and helping those at high risk, the elderly or those with underlying health challenges, get more fruits and vegetables. How can you easily up your intake? I put every meal on a bed of greens or veggies - that will get you 1-2 more servings a day. The jolieLife pizza I posted on Instagram today is made of veggies with more vegetables on top. Use fruit and vegetables as dessert or snack food. A bowl of berries is a wonderful end to a meal. Baby cucumbers give the crunch mouth feel we often seek in snacks. Have berries or some other fruit every morning with your breakfast. At jolie, we usually choose berries because they have the biggest immune boosting punch, second to that we choose citrus or tropical fruits because they are high in vitamin C and antioxidants. Each effort counts and makes a difference! Love, Julia xo One of my favorite jolieLife soups is the Power Green soup, but it should be renamed the Wellness Soup because it has everything in it to keep you well.
All the current health concerns underline for me how we take for granted our immune system and how important it is. Your immune system is like gold - a natural resource of great value.. Every choice you make which strengthens it, builds for your wellness and longevity. Of all we put in our mouth, plants have the most impact on our immune system. So I share this fabulous soup with you. Eat or drink it liberally throughout the next month. I even have clients who eat it as a slushy. You can tweak it as you like. The recipe below is pared down to make it super easy for you. Simple Power Green Soup 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion diced 2 cloves garlic diced 6 cups mineral or vegetable broth 8 cups of kale, spinach, swiss chard, or any dark green leafy vegetable you have stemmed and roughly chopped Lemon juice to taste Salt and pepper to taste
To your health! Julia When there is illness afoot, it reminds me of my grandmother - mother of 13 - who would say, “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” I think she was trying to preserve her sanity, but cleanliness definitely helps out the universal pull to wellness. So, in the current climate it is good to keep sanitation priority.
At the same time, humans have always lived with germs and the human body is a wonderful infection fighter when given the right tools - food, sleep, water, sun. Here are my five tips for boosting your immune system:
Julia xo Water is your most important skin care and diet superfood. Water helps you lose weight, properly absorb and excrete vitamins, aids digestion, and prevents wrinkles. Water is key to how I care for myself.
I wake up every morning and begin with warm water and lemon. It is the ideal beverage to enjoy on my way to my workout. It is warming, prehydrates me, and feels so soothing in the morning. According to Ayurveda, warm lemon water detoxifies and prepares the digestive system. Tea is hands down my favorite beverage. I alternate tea and water throughout the day. My favorites are the Jasmine Green from Flying Bird Botanticals which we use for jolieLife, Casablanca from Mariage Frere, and The Des Legendes also from Mariage Frere. All tea, especially green tea, contains powerful antioxidants to help your skin, immunity, and protects against cancer. I hydrate from within daily with vegetable rich jolieLife food. Eating 6-8 cups of vegetables a day supplies my body with water at a slow and steady pace. My favorites for hydration are green leaves of all kinds and cucumbers. The jolie Daily Greens is my favorite part of a meal. Besides eating and drinking water, I spritz my face several times a day with facial mist. I have a travel size in my purse and in my car. My favorite is Josh Rosebrook Hydrating Accelerator which I get from Detox Market. Keeping hydrated will help you GLOW throughout the winter! Love, Julia xo P.S. An excellent article on the benefits of tea. https://www.bicycling.com/news/a29328262/tea-aging-brain-health-study/ How many tradeoffs did you make in the last six weeks offering up your own pleasure, wellbeing, or peace of mind for the good or pleasure of someone else? How often to you go to bed late, indulge, or buy something not because you wanted to, but because you had to do it?
Well, December is over and now it is time to return to you. If that seems impossible - many find that even in say May they are constantly putting themselves aside for others - 2020 is a wonderful opportunity to consider making different choices. In our culture, women are raised in the expectation of choosing other people’s happiness instead of their own. It is very difficult, if not impossible to say yes to our own joy, our own happiness, our own pleasure. We have no experience prioritizing our own pleasure or investing in ourselves if it inconveniences someone else. But it is easy, as natural as breathing, to say yes to obligation and responsibility. Let this year be the year of both. Saying yes to your obligations and responsibilities and yes to your own pleasure. I began this yes to my pleasure this morning. I chose to go to Bar because it makes me feel good inside. I began my day with movement dancing to my favorite song to get my blood pumping. I postponed brunch to 12 so the feeling of lightness could return to my body after last night’s feast. Think of three ways this week you can say yes to your own pleasure. Say yes to an investment in your own happiness, health, and wellness. Love, Julia xo P.S. This is a new decade to live intentionally and create the best you. Switching to a plant based diet is a fast track to better health, beauty, and longevity. Many clients are amazed how their energy returns, skin improves, digestion gets back on track, and they glow.
The transition, although with great benefit, can leave you hungry. I am talking about two types of hunger. First, you can be just plain hungry as in you need to eat. Plant based food the jolieLife way is lower in calories - it is not starch heavy. We are eating vegetables and fruits, not a lot of rice and beans. In light of that, to help with the transition, make sure that you are keeping hydrated. Sometimes hunger and thirst get confused. Also, you may need a snack during the day or to augment your meal with a broth or soup to give you more calories, especially if it is a heavy workout day. Do what you need, it will not compromise your health. The other hunger can come after you are well on your way with plant based eating - these are cravings for foods not typically part of “healthy, plant based eating.” Maybe it’s a chocolate chip cookie, a plate of pasta, or a big, juicy, grass fed steak you desire. Eat them …. occasionally. Plant based is about honoring our body which includes honoring when we really desire a different experience. Plant based eating should be freedom to give ourselves the very best so that we have latitude in how we are living. If it is putting you in a straight jacket, there is room to improve your implementation of plant based eating. If you find yourself feeling hungry on any level, please reach out to me, so we can work on it together. Love, Julia xo Therapeutic Emotional Release is a technique I teach clients to process sorrow, grief, disappointment, anger, and injustice.
It is invaluable as a daily tool when dealing with loss - death, divorce, or big life change - trauma, or a build up of negative emotions. It is also one of the maintenance tools I encourage and use to keep me emotionally clear and light. Emotions are a necessary part of being human. However, it is difficult to know what to do with our negative or darker feelings. If you are like me, you were taught to suppress them. I cannot tell you how many times my father told me to stop crying, get over my anger, pick yourself up and keep going, or swallow my disappointment. Yet despite expert suppression and denial, emotions did not dissipate. Instead they lodged themselves in my body. They became a budding ulcer. Emotional suppression is one of the leading causes of stress related illnesses: heart disease, obesity, autoimmunity, insulin resistance, depression, insomnia, and digestive problems. We need to deal with our feelings. Therapeutic Emotional Release is an easy-to-learn technique to release emotions from the body without losing it. You can do it in a controlled, precise method. The practice has three parts and should take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes a day - you get to decide how much time to devote to it. . Part 1: Decide what emotion you wish to work on releasing or what situation you want to address. Write this down on a piece of paper you will discard once you are done. This part is short - 1 minute tops. Whatever emotion or situation surfaces first is the one to deal with now. Part 2: This section takes ⅔ to ¾ of the allotted time. You are to embody the feeling. If it is sorrow or grief - cry, sob, rant, get on the floor, curl up into a ball. Do what feels like sorrow or grief. The point is to allow your body to physical act the emotion - think modern dance. If the emotion is anger, you may scream, punch a punching bag, pound a pillow, jump on a trampoline, Allow the words, emotions, and energy to flow out of you in movement. The movement is essential because it is what dislodges and empties the emotions from the body - it is like flushing the toilet of anger, sadness, or grief. Part 3: You cannot skip this part of the technique. Without the third part, you no longer have Therapeutic Emotional Release. It will not be effective without the third part. In the third part, you use your senses to bring pleasure to the body. You can dance, you can eat something luscious like a strawberry or orange slowly, you can bathe, you can feel soft fabrics, you can run your fingers through your hair, you can sing - the point here is to do something pleasurable with your body that is also beautiful. This third part is refilling you with good feelings and peace. After you flush out the emotion, it is important to refill the tank with clean water. As you engage with this form of therapy, you will find yourself lighter, less reactive, and healthier. You will also discover that negativity does not need to intrude on the rest of your day. There is time set aside to deal with what you are going through. If you have a large build up of emotion, I recommend daily practice of Therapeutic Emotional Release. As your emotional septic tank gets emptied, you will need the technique less and less. I encourage you to commit to a 30 day practice if you have a significant loss or trauma. Otherwise commit to using this practice once a week. It will transform your life. Love, Julia xo Yesterday I attended a small gathering of people which allowed me to observe and test some of the practices I teach in coaching.
1. Attention changes interactions to connections. Eye contact is most effective when not only your eyes, but your attention is focused on the other person. Attention is likely the most scarce resource in modern human interaction. Talking to another while thinking about yourself or something else, blocks your ability to connect. Placing all your attention on the other person allows you to see the next questions to ask, where they may be resistant, and gives them a subconscious feeling of being seen. In last nights event, the deepest connections where made by focused attention and those conversations flowed without awkward pauses. 2. Authenticity can include challenge. When seeking true connection with another being authentic is key, but so is challenge. We all enjoy agreeable people, but those who never introduce an different viewpoint or disagreement are more difficult to connect with because they do not demonstrate individuality or how they are unique. When you speak with people be yourself, but also do not be afraid to challenge them. 3. Ask questions. Observing those who talked about themselves mostly with those who asked frequent questions, especially follow up questions - the conversations liberally sprinkled with questions definitely allowed the participants to learn more about each other and deeper discovery. Also, throughout the conversations with questions the participants exhibited more open body language. To learn more about how you can optimize your ability to connect with others to make your life and their life better, join me in a coaching session. To learn more click here. Feet are neglected in Western beauty culture, but are foundational in Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine. They deserve the attention that these alternative modalities advocate. Feet have pressure points which are connected to almost every area of your body. A foot massage affects not only your feet, but your organs also. Foot health also influences the health of your knees, hips, and lower back.
Here is my healthy foot routine to keep me spry. 1. Practice toe separation. If you practice yoga, you are use to the practice of spreading your toes. This helps to alleviate compression of the musculature and nerves of the feet making you more stable and grounded. Without a yoga practice, wear a toe separator for 5-15 minutes each evening. If your toes are too stiff or this causes any discomfort, start gently by weaving a paper towel between your toes. 2. Rub your feet 2-3 times a week with a pumice or exfoliation cream. This will keep your heels and ball of your foot soft avoiding painful calluses which throw off your gait and lead to problems in the knees, hips, and lower back. Do not do this if you have abrasions on your foot. 3. Massage the sole of your foot with a tennis ball daily to address tightness, to relax the foot, and to activate pressure points on the foot. 4. Moisturize your feet twice daily. I use a moisturizer in the morning with lots of botanical oils and another one with 20% urea at night. It will cure cracked heels and help hydrate the skin. It also helps with dry hands. Follow this and you will have fabulously healthy, beautiful feet which will benefit your mobility, agility, and joint health. love, Julia xo How can you see results from your meditation practice more quickly? Start with the type of meditation for your goals.
When people ask how I teach meditation, I explain to them my very results driven approach to meditation. In private meditation consultations, or My Meditation as I refer to it, I choose the mediation that is aligned with the client's goals. Meditation is not a one size fits all prescription - I want clients to see results, so we use the meditation suited to their needs. To encourage your home practice, here are three types of meditation I use most often.
Frequently these approaches are interwoven in a session with others added to produce the type of transformation available through meditation. I encourage you to think of your goals for your practice and experiment with the types of meditation most suited to helping you get there. If you’d like help, book a My Meditation session. Love, Julia xo P.S. The various forms of meditation each stimulate different parts of the brain. For this reason, they yield different results. I firmly believe our health is heavily influenced by our beliefs. Science now is backing this up with study results which show how repeated thoughts affect our behavior and cell health. Also studies have shown the power of mantra. When we tell ourselves something over and over it can shift our behavior, habits, and choices.
For example, a friend of mine used to be addicted to ice cream. To break the addiction, each day she would visualize herself eating ice cream and feeling terrible afterwards. Over time, this meditation built an aversion to ice cream within her. Likewise, the placebo effect can increase efficacy of treatments and overall health outcomes - a person thinks something will help her and it does just because of the thought. What we believe determines what we think is possible, our habits, and our choices. But many of our beliefs are under the surface and we operate not being aware of them. However, if we listen to our thoughts and self talk they will reveal our underlying beliefs. You will learn rather or not you expect health or illness. Eavesdropping on yourself will reveal if you are at peace with your body or feel alienated and disconnect from it. What you hear is affecting you on the level of cell health - the essence of wellbeing. If you discover a belief that is negatively impacting your health, how do you change your beliefs? In order to replace or reverse it we first recognize the belief. Do you expect to be stressed? Do you think your health is delicate? Do you expect to recover quickly when sick? Do you think you are undeserving of health or feeling great? Do you think you will always feel bloated and uncomfortable? Do you think you are bound to experience a particular disease? You bring the beliefs to the light. Then, replace the belief with something more aligned to the outcome you want. This process of replacement is gradual, but will work. For example, for a while I had orthorexia. I thought some foods would instantly make me fat and feel terrible. Each time that came up, birthday cake for example, I would tell myself, “My body knows exactly what to do with this food and can use it up quickly.” Over time, I was able to occasionally partake in certain foods without the expectation that they would instantly derail my health gains. Core beliefs I continually reinforce are: I deserve health and energy all day; I eat so my body heals itself; and aging is not inevitable. These beliefs I repeat to myself. This way I expect well being and make choices which support health. It creates habits of choosing food for how they will assist my body in feeling great, When I am sick, rather or not it requires medication, I tell myself that my body is already healing itself. The positive thoughts, help me to heal faster. Using your beliefs for your health is one of the most powerful wellness tools you have. it is effective, free, and accessible. I am not a vision board person, but I decided to do one at the beginning of the year because I felt that 2019 was going to be amazing! Just about everything happened! How is this?
I will tell you vision boards are not magical or necessary, but are one way to use what I call “conscious effort” to create what you want. A physical or mental vision board is an expression of new possibilities. Creation of anything starts by simply considering the possibility of something. jolieLife food is incredible food - it’s healing and it’s delicious. I wanted more people to experience it because I believe in my core food makes all the difference in illness, aging, and energy. I wanted a way to spread it. The means to do so hadn’t happened, but it could happen. So I began the process of conscious effort. Conscious effort is the work of putting your attention on the thing you desire. This is not the same as hard work. You do not need to work hard at your goal in the traditional way of putting a lot of elbow grease into it. There is a more feminine energy of creation we can access which uses work, intention, and openness. Conscious effort begins with saying that this is something I would really like. So I am going to meditate on this image of what I would really like and I am going to build on it and build on it. It is not to say you don’t do anything, but conscious effort is kind of effortless. You build on the idea mentally and physically until the opportunity presents itself. You prepare yourself for the door without "pounding on a wall hoping to transform it into a door" - Coco Chanel. You take the steps the universe shows you, and you rise to the opportunity when it comes. This does involve time and energy, but it does not have to be a struggle. Consider that you can work hard without struggle. Yes, you have to expend your energy, but it can be effortless. You do the steps, but not in a way that feels pressured or burdensome. So that those steps you do flow out of a love for the work, a love for the process. An important side note is to make sure you are enjoying the process because if you do not enjoy the process, once you reach your goal you will find no joy there either. It is like the person who is on a grueling diet and hates every step of the way. Once they reach their goal, there is no pleasure staying on a program that will maintain the results. Whereas if you enjoy the journey, learn to enjoy healthy food, love the way your body feels in the transition, develop a love for movement; maintaining your weight at the end will be easy. In conscious effort you are putting your attention where you want it to go and letting things come to you. It is helpful to plan out steps, but you want to leave room for flexibility and new inspiration. It is good to have a general plan and then ask the universe to guide you. You do your part and co create with the universe to let providence take you where you want to go. You take action, but allow space for inspiration and serendipity. jolieLife cafe - my goal was in mind. I worked on the quality and presentation of jolieLife meals with love, skill, and conviction. When the universe opened the door and the offer of opening a jolieLife cafe came from Murray Hill Tennis & Fitness, I rose to meet the opportunity with the same love and passion. This is conscious effort in manifestation. Fall is a great time to think about what you want to work on and towards. I am happy to help you create your best life in a Soul Styling session. Book here. Love, Julia xo I just got back from Paris as many of you know. It is my happy place. Every time I travel there I wish I could bottle up that feeling of Paris so that I can have access to it at all times.
In actually, I can. You can also tap into the energy of your happy places and happy times. What’s more, is that this practice does not only help you feel happier in the present, but it creates more happiness in your life. Here's the method. For me to access the me in Paris energy, I open myself to imagining myself in Paris. I imagine the beautiful scenery, the yummy food, sitting in a cafe, the casual interactions people have. The imagining is important because the mind is the point of access to the energy of Paris. It is the instrument I can use to tap into that energy which is easier because it is a place I have already experienced. When I access Paris energy I feel calm and peaceful; I feel happy and free. The more I do this kind of daydreaming, the more I get use to or accustom to the feeling of being calm and peaceful. In reality, I am not tuning into Paris, but I am actually tuning into the vibration of happiness. As this becomes my habit of tuning into happiness, then in my day to day life I start looking for more of that experience. It changes my perspective, what I notice, and what I am concentrating on. I get used to the Paris feeling, and then tune myself to things of similar frequency. So when you daydream about your happy place or time, you too are tuning into a vibration of happiness and well being. You begin to shift your mind into a place of peace and tranquility. You feel more deeply the feeling of freedom happiness gives. Habitually experiencing the feeling of happiness will draw more happy experiences and create more happiness within you because you are shifting your own consciousness towards happiness. This is not hard work. You simply need to allow yourself to daydream. You can do this while brushing your teeth. It does not require much from you, but allows you to create a better life for yourself. Love, Julia xo P.S. For more steps and tools specific to you, feel free to reach out. and to help women embrace that there are more options available to them for interpreting events and happenings than we perceive. Eger, at 90 (I love that too) shows a path toward healing which does not deny or suppress our hurts, yet leads us beyond them. The Morning Fog does not make the elixir spicy. Black pepper assist the body’s absorption of curcumin - the active ingredient in turmeric
Recipe: Grate one knob of turmeric. Simmer in 4 cups of water with a healthy pinch to ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Strain the elixir. Add the juice of one orange and one lemon. Add 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. You can enjoy this hot or cold. Cold is my favorite with the heat. I love aromatherapy, but find it hard to integrate into everyday lfe. A simple way to use aromatherapy is sprinkling a few drops of essential oil onto the floor of the shower. As you dial in your temperature the whole bathroom becomes an aromatherapy room. Try cedarwood or sandalwood for the scent of bathing in nature.
with light, Julia This is one of the breakfast favorites in the jolieLife menu. I love it for breakfast as well as a healthy snack. Avocado adds healthy fats to nourish your skin and brain. Raw cacao improves heart health, is high in antioxidants, and is anti-inflammatory. This rich creamy treat will keep you satiated until lunch. Here is the recipe if you wish to make it at home. It serves 4-5 Avo-Coco Probiotic Pudding 2 avocados ripe, peeled with seed removed 1/4 c. coconut oil 1 T vanilla 3 T almond butter 1/4 c. maple syrup 1 ½ c. raw cacao powder 1/3 to 1/2 c. water 3 T protein powder 1 probiotic capsule Raspberries Cacao nibs 1. In a high speed blender, blend avocado, coconut oil, and vanilla till smooth. 2. Add in almond butter, maple syrup, raw cacao, water, protein powder, and probiotic powder. Blend till smooth and creamy. 3. Refrigerate. Garnish with fresh fruit and cacao nibs. with light, Julia When you feel bored, sad, cranky, or moody try a dance break. Put on your favorite song and dance away for 3 minutes. Daily dance breaks help to release energy as well as build positive energy. It is a great way to take your mood up a notch.
My favorite dance break songs: I'm Not Afraid - with light, Julia You are at a smorgasbord plate in hand. You circle the offerings taking a little bit this and a little of that. You return to your seat with a plate full of yummy possibilities. What do you eat first?
The food that most excites you. Now take a piece a paper. Draw a circle. This is your plate. It represents a period of time - a day or a week. Within the circle write down all the things you have to do. Take a look at it. Now do the thing you want to do most in the circle. When you finish that, do the next thing you want to do most. Continue like this. Also, on your smorgasbord plate, sometimes you select things and only eat half of them before tasting something else. Or, perhaps, you decide something on the plate isn’t really for you - you leave it on the plate. Now allow yourself to move through your circle like that plate. Some things you will complete, others you will do part of and then switch to a different activity; some you will realize are not for you. I call this feminine list making. You have structure, but fluidity within the structure. I’ve been using this method and it amazes me how productive I am with it AND how much I enjoy my days. The circle feels good as a gentle boundary that I can expand and contract as I feel. The choice aspect allows we to move through the list based on what is exciting me most at the moment. By doing the thing that would give me the most joy at the moment, I use positive motivation to get things done, and build up energy throughout the day as opposed to leaking energy into "eating my frog first." With the freedom and fluidly to move in and out of tasks based on my joy, I get a lot done in a day. My circle has helped me to enjoy the rush and the activities. It feels more like water moving as opposed to digging myself out of a mountain of work. I highly recommend it!! For those with questions of how to use this in a work or school environment, for items that have a deadline or that I must produce for others, I note it, but continue to move within those expectations to where my joy is. And everything gets done, faster than you’d imagine. If you notice that a particular item is repeatedly left in the circle, it means it is something you don’t want to eat just like when you leave food on your smorgasbord plate. That’s okay. It’s time to let that item go or get creative. The smorgasbord analogy is good here. What are all the options for dealing with something that isn’t appetizing to you? Love, Julia xo Here is my technique for unblock beliefs that are keeping me stuck or hampering my progress. It is very simple, always works, and requires little effort from you. All that is necessary is a willingness to release beliefs which are impeding your progress, repetition when necessary, pen, and paper.
The Release Technique I write down the belief or beliefs that I am holding which are not helping me move positively. This I do anywhere. I keep it as simple as I can. I write whatever comes to mind no matter how irrelevant or unimportant it seems. A belief is simply an idea. An idea someone crafted because it worked for them. It made sense to the creator of the idea. In some cases the idea is enshrined as a cultural norm, familial expectation, social attitude, or the rule of a particular group. But, in its essence, it is simply an idea. An idea that worked for someone else in their particular situation does not mean it works for you. Even an idea that worked for you, may not continuing working for you. So instead of seeing a belief or idea as a rock which is unchangeable, think of it more as water: it can shift and change. Beliefs are fluid. I then look at each idea and I cross it out. Crossing it out signals to my consciousness that I don’t need that idea anymore. For stubborn beliefs, sometimes I have to keep writing them down and keep crossing them out until I feel the belief loosening and drifting away. My father had told me many things I couldn’t do. They were all beliefs from his perspective and experience, crafted to protect me and him too. Many simply stopped working for me - he is quite old fashioned. So, I crossed them out. I have done many of his "you can'ts." This is a way to open yourself that doesn’t require a lot of work because it shifts you internally. As your thoughts about yourself and what's possible changes, your actions change. Your energy changes, and it opens up more space for you to grow. In my practice, I work on energetic changes because they are the ones that help you grow with grace and as much ease as possible. By changing in this way, the path to your goals is smoother and attainable. Love, Julia xo |
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