We as humans tend to spend a lot of time in our sympathetic nervous system (your fight, flight or freeze state). We are stressed, anxious and overwhelmed with everyday tasks. A simple way to help activate its counterpart (the parasympathetic nervous system) is to breathe slowly. Breathing slowly is extremely beneficial on it’s own and I encourage you to do this several times a day, but when you couple this with essential oils, you have a master plan that may help you release happy hormones like serotonin and dopamine and calm your nervous system in a flash.
The seat of our emotions lies in the limbic system (our emotional brain). When you inhale essential oils, it takes only seconds to reach our limbic system and can have an instant calming effect.
So make besties with your parasympathetic nervous system and get those happy and calming vibes flowing! Ok, so exactly how do I do this Bonnie?? I thought you’d never ask...
Here are a couple of techniques for breathing with essential oils.....
🌸 Find a quiet spot.....and if the only quiet spot you have is your car, or the bathroom, I’m not judging you....
🌸 Grab your favourite calming essential oil(s). See examples below for tips on which calming oils to use.
🌸 Now you have a choice here.....pick which one you are most comfortable with:
- 🌸 Place a drop of essential oil on the palm of your hand and rub your hands together for a few seconds to disperse the oil. Bring your palms in front of your nose. Close your eyes (if you’re comfortable) and inhale and exhale slowly.
- OR
- 🌸 Open the bottle of essential oil and bring the open bottle in front of your nose. Close your eyes (if you’re comfortable) and inhale and exhale slowly.
🌸 Keep breathing for at least a minute or two.
🌸 Notice what happens. You may begin to feel more relaxed, have some inspiration or new mindsets rolling in and you may even notice tension or tightness in your body begin to subside.
🌸 You should hopefully start to feel better....you’re welcome 💕
Another great tip for using essential oils aromatically, is by diffusing them. This is an easy way to infuse the room with calming oils. And since you’re already breathing (thanks to our autonomic nervous system that puts breathing on auto pilot), you can benefit from this for hours! Of course, you can mindfully take deep breaths in the room where you are diffusing your oils as well.
Below are just a few suggested calming essential oils to use for these breathing practices:
Frankincense, Lavender, Northern Lights Black Spruce, Stress Away, Peace and Calming, Cedarwood, Sandalwood.
One thing to keep in mind when using essential oils is to ensure you are using 100% pure essential oils from a trusted source. I cannot stress this enough. Our brains are super sensitive and since you are breathing in these oils and the scents go into the olfactory part of your brain, you do not want to be breathing in chemicals, synthetics or toxins that are often found in many essential oil brands.
If you are interested in learning more about 100% pure and quality essential oils, contact me for more information.
Now go grab your oil(s) and make friends with your parasympathetic nervous system already. Enjoy the calm and serenity from this breathing practice.
xo,
Bonnie
By the way...if you liked this post, click the link below to get access to my FREE Yoga Nidra Guided meditation for relaxation.
*Please note: relaxation and meditation practices may cause you to experience upsetting memories or difficult emotions. While these practices can be a beneficial way to release these emotions and memories, it is important that you check with your health care provider before starting a relaxation/meditation practice if you feel you may have difficulties processing memories and emotions should they come up during practice.
The information presented here is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The information in this post is subject to interpretation and is an expression of opinion. It is not intended for, and does not replace professional, medical, legal, business, and/or health related opinions and advice. It is not a substitute for counselling or any other type of therapy, or medical advice from qualified professionals.
I know, I know......it’s all about the PSL. You’re either a fan, or you’re not. Kinda like cilantro. You either love it or hate it. There is no in between..... I happen to be on the LOVE pumpkin spice latte team!
My only issue is that I really don’t care for the artificial flavours in most pumpkin spice lattes available at our usual coffee stops. They are too sweet and most actually don’t even have pumpkin....it’s usually just flavoured syrup that gives it the “pumpkin spice” flavour.
So, what’s a girl to do when she wants an authentic pumpkin spice latte made with all natural ingredients? Well, she makes it herself of course. And what is better than enjoying a PSL? Enjoying a mocha pumpkin spice latte! Who knew the humble pumpkin spice latte could climb to greater heights? I didn’t think it was possible, but with the addition of a little cocoa, this delicious pick me up gets even better.
My daughter Samantha is also a fan of pumpkin spice (because all of it’s nice).....so she asked me if we could make some lattes and enjoy them together one beautiful fall afternoon. I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to indulge with my own little pumpkin (or big cause she is taller than me) so we concocted our own and the rest is history. The addition of cocoa was a test. She asked me what it would be like to make the latte with chocolate, so I said let’s find out! I must say our little experiment turned out amazingly delicious and it was super easy! I see many, many more of these in our future.
Try this for yourself, you won’t be disappointed!! And if you’re not a fan of chocolate, just omit the cocoa powder.
As for the milk in this latte, I used my homemade cashew milk. Click here for the recipe.
You can whisk all these ingredients together while the mixture is on the stove, or once the mixture comes to a boil, you can use a handheld blender to blend it all up and create some froth.
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk (can sub non dairy milk if desired)
- 1 cup freshly brewed espresso or very strong coffee
- 3 TBSP of pure pumpkin puree
- 1 TBSP pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
Directions
- Whisk all ingredients in small saucepan over medium heat
- Once mixture begins to boil, remove from heat
- Blend with hand blender to combine and create some froth
- Pour into two mugs
- Top with cinnamon
- Top with whipped cream and caramel sauce if desired
- Add extra maple syrup for more sweetness if desired
What are you waiting for? Go make some yummy mocha pumpkin spice lattes. Oh yeah and this recipe makes 2 servings, but that doesn’t mean you can‘t drink it all yourself.....just sayin’. 😉
xo,
Bonnie
By the way...if you liked this post, click the link below to get access to my FREE Yoga Nidra Guided meditation for relaxation.
The information presented here is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The information in this post is subject to interpretation and is an expression of opinion. It is not intended for, and does not replace professional, medical, legal, business, and/or health related opinions and advice. It is not a substitute for counselling or any other type of therapy, or medical advice from qualified professionals.
Did you know that you take roughly 720 - 960 breaths every hour? And how many breaths do you actually notice? Probably not many, if any at all.
Our bodies know exactly what to do to keep us alive. Our hearts beat, we digest food and we breathe all day long, but don’t even do it consciously. Sometimes we get emotionally disconnected from our bodies and we just need to get grounded and be back in the present moment. Or we need to take a break from whatever it is that causing us emotional discomfort.
The easiest way to get present and in alignment with who we truly are is to take a break and breathe deeply.
When we do this, we activate our parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest state) which induces feelings of calm and relaxation. And who doesn’t need more of that???
Here’s how.......you can do this with your eyes open or closed.
🌸 Get still
🌸 Inhale through your nose for a count of five
🌸 Pause for a count of five
🌸 Exhale through your nose for a count of five
If five is too intense, try three counts or less. Whatever is comfortable.
The key here is to notice your breath, be in the present moment and connect back with your body. Also notice anything that is coming up for you while you do this practice. You may notice some new insights or mindsets bubbling up.
So if you followed with me, how do you feel now? Better right?
And when you add essential oils to your breath work, it takes it to a whole new level. More on this in my next blog ;)
xo,
Bonnie
By the way...if you liked this post, click the link below to get access to my FREE Yoga Nidra Guided meditation for relaxation.
*Please note: relaxation and meditation practices may cause you to experience upsetting memories or difficult emotions. While these practices can be a beneficial way to release these emotions and memories, it is important that you check with your health care provider before starting a relaxation/meditation practice if you feel you may have difficulties processing memories and emotions should they come up during practice.
The information presented here is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The information in this post is subject to interpretation and is an expression of opinion. It is not intended for, and does not replace professional, medical, legal, business, and/or health related opinions and advice. It is not a substitute for counselling or any other type of therapy, or medical advice from qualified professionals.
If you're like me and your tummy can't tolerate cow's milk, then this recipe is a must have in your fridge! This is so easy to make and it's delicious beyond compare. Even my picky daughter Samantha won't argue with me when I'm using cashew milk for recipes. And she'll even have it with her cereal!
This milk will only last a few days in the fridge so I make it often so it's fresh. And I even make some batches on the fly if I've run out and don't have any already made. It's not a fussy recipe and if your'e in a pinch, no need to soak the cashews ahead of time.
I love this recipe because you don't have to strain it!! Whatttt?? Yep, all you nut milk lovers out there know what I'm talking about. It's great to make nut milks, but straining it can be a pain. Luckily, this recipe doesn't require any straining, so no more complaining that you can't make your own nut milk, ok???
You can use any glass bottles for the finished product. I like to use empty kombucha bottles (I may or may not have an obsession with kombucha), or mason jars can do the trick as well. If you're fancy, you can buy some glass bottles with snappy lids from IKEA or your local dollar store.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of raw unsalted cashews
- 5 cups of filtered water
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 medjool date (optional) - can sub 1 TBSP maple syrup or honey
- 2-3 glass jars
Instructions
- Measure 1 cup of raw unsalted cashews into a glass bowl and cover with about two cups of water. Let sit for approximately three hours.
- Drain and rinse cashews and place in a high-speed blender with 1 cup of water and 1 medjool date. Note, if using maple syrup or honey, add at this point.
- Blend at high speed until the cashews are smooth and creamy and no lumps remain.
- Add 4 more cups of water, and pinch of sea salt.
- Blend again at high speed until the milk is perfectly smooth.
- Pour into glass jars and refrigerate.
- Will keep for about 4-6 days in fridge. Make sure to shake before using.
Healthy cooking is a passion of mine. I take pride knowing I made something that nourishes me and my family and the best part....it's loaded with high doses of love. I hope you and your family love this recipe as much as we do!
xo,
Bonnie
By the way...if you liked this post, click the link below to get access to my FREE Yoga Nidra Guided meditation for relaxation.
The information presented here is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The information in this post is subject to interpretation and is an expression of opinion. It is not intended for, and does not replace professional, medical, legal, business, and/or health related opinions and advice. It is not a substitute for counselling or any other type of therapy, or medical advice from qualified professionals.
The BEST Banana Gluten Free Pancake Recipe
Breakfast is seriously my favourite meal of the day. I'm not sure why....maybe it's because I'm a morning person, or the fact that I'm always hungry and after not eating for like 12 hours gets me kinda hangry in the morning..... Whatever it may be, I LOVE my breakfasts!
Which brings me to the all star pancake. Pancakes hold a special place in my heart. My mom absolutely loves pancakes and we used to make them together when I was growing up. I'm actually surprised I still love pancakes as much as I do because my mom's version always had bran in them (yep, they did...) and she notoriously over cooked them. But maybe it's the time we spent cooking together that keeps the memories so enjoyable. And now for the bit or irony, my mom uses my pancake recipe now - and no more bran to be found in the batter!
Being gluten free isn't always easy when you're trying to feed a family of non-gluten free people. Pancakes are no exception. I used to make two separate pancake recipes - one for me and one for my family. And then I had an epiphany. Since I'm the only one who cooks, they have no choice but to eat what I'm making...and so the story goes. They now eat my gluten free pancakes a few times a week and they are filled with protein and fruit, so I feel good knowing they are getting a diverse range of nutrients! Having a lot of banana in the recipe kind of distracts from the gluten free taste side effect - you know what I'm talking about! I also cheat a little and add a chopped up (gluten free) chocolate sandwich cookie to their pancakes and voila - cookies and cream gluten free pancakes.....who can say no to that?
I hope you love this recipe as much as me and my family do!
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 4 ripe bananas
- 4 eggs
- 1 TBSP maple syrup
- 1 TBSP baking powder
- 1 cup gluten free flour blend of your choice (if you're not gluten free, you can use all purpose flour)
- pinch of salt
- butter for greasing pan
Instructions
Mix all ingredients, except flour in a blender until smooth.
Pour wet ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
Add flour and whisk until no lumps remain.
Butter non stick pan or griddle and measure 1/4 cup of batter per pancake.
Cook on medium to low heat.
Gently flip when pancakes have small bubbles forming on top. Note: These are very fragile pancakes when flipping. Be gentle and I promise you'll get your grove on in no time when it comes to flipping these babies. Patience and experience will be your friend.
Cook for a couple of more minutes until pancake is cooked through.
Enjoy!
Don't forget you can add endless options for toppings, or mix into the batter. I always cook one cup of frozen wild blueberries and add to my stack of pancakes along with hemp hearts. You could also try adding chocolate chips to the batter. The possibilities are endless!
xo,
Bonnie
By the way...if you liked this post, click the link below to get access to my FREE Yoga Nidra Guided meditation for relaxation.
The information presented here is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The information in this post is subject to interpretation and is an expression of opinion. It is not intended for, and does not replace professional, medical, legal, business, and/or health related opinions and advice. It is not a substitute for counselling or any other type of therapy, or medical advice from qualified professionals.
