Wellness / Healing

December 14, 2012
by amoonfull 18 Comments

Healing from the flu?

I’ve got a lot going on. I have an aunt with terminal cancer who I’ve been healing with Reiki. I also have two friend’s who are ill, and this weekend, coincidentally, they both got very sick. One has sickle cell and the other has an undisclosed illness.

I went to see them both on tuesday to give them Reiki. My friend with the undisclosed illness also caught the flu or some kind of virus. She warned me not to come by since everyone in her home was catching it as well. But I thought I was different. I thought if I brought a mask for her to wear and gave myself Reiki before and after seeing her I would be ok. While being at her house, a close friend of hers was very sick with a fever and barely standing. I gave him Reiki and aromatherapy with Peppermint since I didn’t have Eucalyptus oil. He immediately felt better.

Afterward, I went to my other friend, the one with sickle cell. There was a clear difference in the way he was walking before and after treatment. He was feeling significantly better.

The next morning, on Wednesday, I woke up with a sinus pressure, neck and shoulders aching and a pressure on my glands around my throat/neck. That caught me quick, I thought. But I went to work.

HEALING DAY ONE

Gave myself Reiki throughout the day. Inhaled 100% pure peppermint oil and massaged it on my neck and shoulders and upper back. Stimulated pressure points on my face neck and hands. Drank plenty of tea and water, ate tangerines, watermelon, currants w/ hemp seeds and a banana. During lunch, I went to the park close by. Tis the only picture I was able to capture. While at the park, i laid out my yoga mat, meditated, prayed, did reiki and even chanted a bit. Nature is sooooo good!

Went back to work. Only one of my bosses was in the office and he was leaving early. He said I could go too. Went home and took a long nap. Got ready for yoga class (my first in a VERY long time). It was Vinyasa Yoga. I nearly passed out a few times of how weak I felt. Took two breaks but I finished the class. I needed to sweat it out.

Then I went to the Kava Bar to pick up some CamuCamu Supplements from my friend, and I took two or three kava shots while there. CamuCamu is a fruit found only in the amazon regions of South America. Its “extraordinarily high Vitamin C content (in the order of 2–3% of fresh weight) is the most important property of the fruit.” – Wikipedia – Camu Camu

Camu Camu Seeds

Kava is a root from the pacific islands. It “is sedating and is primarily consumed to relax without disrupting mental clarity… Kava is chewed by some to relieve symptoms of throat pain, as it produces a “numbing” effect on the tongue and throat”. – Wikipedia – Kava

Kava Plant

Went home and slept.

HEALING DAY TWO

I woke up feeling significantly worse. Called in sick. Immediately, I looked up some juices for the cold/flu. Missing a few ingredients, I drove to my brother’s house, 5 minutes away, and grabbed some things I needed.

When I reached my house, there was a package in front of my door. CamuCamu Powder. I decided to add it to all my juices.

My friend gave me the CamuCamu pills.

I juiced all afternoon. Took me a while because I felt weak. Made two types of juices.

Citrus Juice:

Grapefruit, Oranges, Limes, Blackberries. This recipe made two 8 oz jars. The original recipe was cranberries instead but I didn’t have any. Honestly, I wouldn’t make this juice again unless I substituted the grapefruit. It was a struggle drinking that.

Green Juice:

Kale, Broccoli, Celery, Ginger, Apple. This one made me one jar. Since I ran out of apples, I made one more jar with pear instead. These two have been my favorite juices in a long time. I will definitely make over and over when I buy more veggies.

Then I decided to eat a clove of garlic. But since I’m a punk, I had no idea how I was going to manage that. So I decided to cut up the clove in tiny pieces and take like a pill. It took me about half an hour to eat it. Here’s what I did: Took a piece, swallowed with green juice and then took a bite of banana. I used up my two green juices and a full banana.

I also made myself orange tea.

Orange Tea:

Put water to boil. Cut up orange in four quarters with peel still on. Boil the oranges. Let simmer. Squeeze the orange juice into water. Drink up! (No picture for this one)

A took a very long nap. I awoke at night. Drank warm water. Decided to keep juicing. I made a variety of juices. I’d make something different every 8 oz.

The green ones are my favorite!

As it was getting time for bed again, I drank some ginger tea by one of my favorite brands, Yogi.

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This morning I felt refreshed. Sinus pressure gone. My body was sore from yoga though. I decided to come back to work, hoping I will leave early to catch more sleep.

MORAL OF THE STORY:

I don’t like conventional medicine. Had I opted for over-the-counter drugs, I may have been sick all weekend long. A natural approach will really benefit your mind, soul and body. Your body needs these natural remedies because they aren’t chemicals that your organs are trying to figure out what to do with. My spirit was high all day yesterday despite feeling really sick. My mind was sharp. I did not feel nauseated nor sick to my stomach as some drugs tend to cause me to be. I’m happy I am able to heal myself with what Earth has to offer. No doctor needed!

I will leave you with the ginger tea quote:

“Your heartbeat is the rhythm of your soul.”

November 15, 2012
by amoonfull 16 Comments

Zucchini Juice

Last week I decided to try out a few juice recipe’s from Josslyn’s post Reboot My Life since mother’s been insisting she wants to become healthier and needs a cleanse.

So here is the zucchini juice recipe:

2 Lg zucchini
2 apples
1 C spinach
1 lime
2 cup parsley

I must say that we didn’t follow the instructions to the T. We only used the ingredients with different amounts of each.

We started off with 3 zucchini.

Peeled 2 limes.

A lot of parsley.

Added a piece of ginger. (I like adding ginger to everything)

Some spinach.

And after juicing, my mom didn’t like the taste much. So we added a green pear. (she has yet to get used to greens)

And grapes for a bit more sweetness.

… and voilà – fresh, green juice!

Then we poured in mason jars.

And this was left over. Green Wine. Ha! 🙂

So… when will YOU get started?

October 24, 2012
by amoonfull 3 Comments

My first 5K

Eight years ago, I would have never thought that I would be running 5Ks for fun. I’ve been physically active since I was nine, but running long distance was never part of my lifestyle. And for the past 8 years laziness had invaded my body. Needless to say, every time I would feel courageous enough to go out and run, weakness would then invade my mind.

A few months ago I thought I finally overcame my fear of running. I even wrote about here. Sadly enough, I never progressed.

However, in September, my sister registered with a co-worker for Dunn’s Race, benefiting The Boy’s and Girl’s Club in Broward. She asked me to join. I hesitated. Then I asked myself, what’s stopping me? There was no answer because I know nothing was. So I went for it. We began training with only a month before the race. In four weeks, we probably trained about 2 and a half in total.

Sunday, October 7.

The race was held in Deerfield Beach – 30 miles plus away from where we live. We got there at 6:30 am. Here we are still feeling sleepy before the race.

Since we were by the beach, i decided to take in the view, meditate a bit and get myself ready.

Ok, the sun starts coming out now. And my sister’s friend showed up with a team. It was soon time to run. The moment of truth was finally here. There was no turning back. We were super nervous as you can tell by our faces!

And we began. My sister and I stayed close to each other though she was a bit behind me. I kept looking back and making sure I wouldn’t lose her. After all, we were in this together. Maybe half a mile in and I lost her. When I saw her way in the back, she signaled for me to keep going. I hesitated because I thought I should wait for her. But I kept going.

I saw the 1 mile mark. My eyes lit up. Wow, I thought, I can’t believe I made it this far. I kept going. I was trailing Chris, her co-worker’s boyfriend. He was my marker. I wanted to make sure that he was still in close view. Either that or pass him (which by the way I tried). Then we came to the turn-around point, which meant a mile and a half. I hadn’t stopped yet. I kept going. I caught up to Chris and passed him for a few seconds, but then he gained speed. After two miles I was still going. I couldn’t believe it. I hadn’t stopped!

People of all ages were running and walking in front, behind and next to me. They kept me motivated and distracted from my mind. Then, I began cramping, but I kept going. But the pain got stronger, and I began to feel queasy. Noooo, I thought, just what I needed. So I stopped my run and decided to walk it off a bit. I only took 4 semi-walking steps and to my surprise, because of momentum, my legs began running again. But shortly after, the cramping became worse and I had to force myself to walk fast instead. All this happened after 2 miles of running. Chris was still in site. I had to keep going. So I was running on and off.

There was a bridge coming up and I decided to run nonstop since the finish line was getting close. I mustered much needed strength to go up the bridge and ran down rather easily. I was approaching the end. I just ran for it, full force, full speed, no stopping.

And I made it! My sister came in four minutes later. I wanted to cry. For eight years I feared running, I didn’t believe in myself, I didn’t feel capable of achieving this. And I did. This 5k was a marathon for me. I never felt so proud. I still can’t believe it.

After the race was over, I looked up my time; I made it in 35:07. In my age group and gender, I was 17^th place. I felt awesome.

I took one last picture of the beach after the race.

They fed us Panera Bread. And there was a Firetruck parked in the lot for free painting. So I grabbed a hat and joined the fun!

I cant wait for the next race. And not because running is fun, but because it takes me out of my element. It gives me a feeling of accomplishment that I crave now. Yay for me! 🙂

As for my shoes, I am giving them up. I’ve had them since 2006 and for the past year, i don’t how many time I’ve had to crazy-glue the sides.

But I’m glad that after all these years, my pumas were able to taste victory with me!

October 19, 2012
by amoonfull 2 Comments

She walked…

on water. Ha, I’m kidding.

On a serious note though, my aunt was recently diagnosed with cancer. Stage 4. I went to see her last night. I have been doing research on Reiki for cancer patients prior to visiting her. To be honest, I just expected to ease her mind, help her relax and sleep.

She was in bed. Her right ankle is swollen and in pain. Her left knee is suffering from arthritis pain as well. She cannot put pressure on her ankle, nor on her knee. So she’s been rolling on her desk chair around the house because she can’t walk. I wasn’t sure how to bring Reiki up in conversation. My aunt had never heard of it. I’m fluent in Spanish, but I’m not familiar with spiritual or energy healing terminology, so I tried the best I could to explain to her exactly what it is. I was afraid she wouldn’t be open to receiving energy healing, but to my delightful surprise, she agreed to do it. I made sure to spend a good chunk of time on each section.

After the session was over, her reaction to this new, never-heard-of experience was overwhelming. I will not go into details about our conversation, but I can say that she felt less pain and was very much at peace. And hear this, my aunt walked. She couldn’t believe it. My cousins were astonished as well.

My aunt walked.

My hands, of course channeling the energy of all that Is, helped heal her pain. My little hands. And although my intention is not to feel self-gratification but to provide as much healing as possible to the next person, it feels amazing to know that with pure love and energy I can comfort someone in need.

October 17, 2012
by amoonfull 6 Comments

Reiki

In August, I was attuned for Reiki I, finally! I had only worked on 3 people since my attunement… until this weekend.

This weekend I went to Maryland for a wedding. I was there for about 4 days. During the chaotic preparations, the bride’s maids were exhausted and stressed. Most of us stayed at the couple’s house. There was much to be done. Every single day since being there, I performed Reiki on the girls, including the bride.

None of the ladies knew about Reiki or energy healing although some were familiar with the 7 main chakras. And ever since my attunement, I like to incorporate reiki into my scalp massages, so I thought it was a nice way to introduce this modality.

After spending 4 days with ladies I’ve only seen about 5 times in my lifetime, I realized how stressed out women tend to be on a regular basis. I gathered this through the girl talks every night after cleaning, cooking and wine.

After every mini session, all the ladies had similar yet unique experiences. But one thing in common was their satisfaction of relaxing and breathing for a few minutes without interruption, without being bombarded with mundane distractions.

As I was reading an article about reiki for cancer patients (I will write about that later), the quote below rang true to me. Ever since I began my daily meditations in the beginning of this year, I have an easier time dealing with daily activities or interactions. It gives me a sense of peace and purpose. It brings me closer to the Divine.

I’m glad I was able to help these ladies achieve this peace of mind, even if only for the weekend.

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Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh often refers to the importance of stopping as a way to cultivate inner healing:

“At first, ’stopping’ may look like a kind of resistance to modern life, but it is not… Humankind’s survival depends on our ability to stop rushing. Stopping is not only to stop the negative, but to allow positive healing to take place.”

Source: Reiki for Cancer Patients

September 28, 2012
by amoonfull 6 Comments

Today’s Lunch

Today’s Lunch Menu

-Nature (grass, trees, water, sun, shade and wind)
-30 Minutes Meditation w/ Sound Healing Music
-15 Minutes Self-Reiki
-10 Minutes Absorb Nature w/ Deep Breaths
-5 Minutes Absorb Renewed Self

September 2, 2012
by amoonfull Leave a comment

Deeply Rooted

A Woman of the Earth

The doors are opened for me. A universe of opportunities is mine for the taking. I embrace every emotion in my solar plexus and desire in my heart – all those things that honor my divinity.

It is a precious thing to be a woman – a gift to life overall. I value my existence and hold sacred my attributes, including my temple and what I choose to allow in and out of it. I am not what others want me to be but what I choose to be.

I stand firm in knowing the value of all I have to offer, that which is birthed from the most sacred part of mySelf. I will receive no less. The beauty of my being shall not be diluted. I am in love with mySelf as I am in love with all. For that reason, I will allow me only the best that my heart and soul will accept and recognize that is in congruence to my desires and offerings.

Om Namah Shivaya

August 29, 2012
by amoonfull Leave a comment

Matsyasana Day 1

I don’t practice yoga like I wish I did, or perhaps like I should. I know all the benefits of yoga (the different types), and I encourage it to any and every one. The problem? I get bored. I really want to like it because I know how beneficial it would be for my breathing and sciatica. But I really get bored out of my mind! My sister suggested I practice Vinyasa Yoga since it flows from position to position instead of keeping a pose for longer periods of time. I have fallen asleep during yoga before, so this type that is a bit more vigorous may be just what I need!

However, I love doing poses often, even if I don’t practice yoga. My sister shows me different ones all the time, and I give them a try, without stretching, without previous attempts… I just try them.

Last night we played tennis, and afterward, she began stretching. Then asked me if I had ever seen the Fish Pose. She showed it to me and I tried it out. Below is the picture.

This morning, I looked up the pose on Google. I didn’t know there were variations of the same pose. So guess what? I will try every variation I see online and take pictures and show you. I’ve just gotta get creative with the places I choose to do them in. This is gonna be fun! 🙂

Matsyasana: The name comes from the Sanskrit words matsya (मत्स्य) meaning “fish” and asana (आसन) meaning “posture” or “seat”. (Source:Wikipedia)

August 22, 2012
by amoonfull 7 Comments

No more Ramadan

Oh, it was a great journey observing Ramadan for the first time. This has been one of the most self-reflective, peaceful and appreciative experiences in my life. But I’d be lying if I said it was only that and a bag of chips.

Although the fasting came relatively easy, the last few days took a toll on my sleep, appetite and self-control. I’ve had a love/hate relationship in the past with discipline. But this experience has taught me something different about discipline – something to bring me back to Earth.

Approximately three to four years ago, I contemplated on fasting for a few days or a week or two. I felt I was spiritually motivated enough, but mentally and physically I wasn’t. I was too concerned about how I would go about my day, how much weight I would loose, and what pleasure i’d have to give up. Thinking back, if these factors affected my decision, then I definitely was not even spiritually ready.

Ramadan came at the right time in my life. I thought I’d only do about three to five days, but I soon realized that I would be denying myself from an experience that would not only facilitate and provide growth in every aspect of my life, but one that allowed me to open up to a culture/religion that I really knew nothing about. And it placed truly meaningful souls in my path that I will now cherish forever.

On the last day of Ramadan, I experienced bitter/sweet emotions. I can honestly say that this has been one of very few things I have accomplished in my twenty some odd years. There’s this feeling of elation, cleansing and gratefulness that overcame me on that last day. I must admit that I cried as I prayed my last prayer that night. My soul was renewed. I fulfilled a commitment that would change my life for the better. I’ve learned many things on this holy month of Ramadan, and I regret not one second of it!

This has been my first of many to come. I am so thankful for those souls who sent me positive energy and supported my journey, both near and far. It’s meant the world to me.

Blessings,

Moon

August 10, 2012
by amoonfull 4 Comments

The mystics of rain

Yesterday, it seemed like my boss was catching a cold. I think he sneezed more than he breathed! When it was time to go home he was doing much better – he stopped sneezing, and his voice didn’t sound nasal from congestion. Today, he looked great.

He went out for lunch. During that time, it began pouring. When he came back from lunch there was a clear distinction from earlier this morning – he looked/sounded terrible: super congested, runny nose and watery eyes. He then said to me, “You know, it’s funny how rain can make you sick. All I did was walk a few steps from the gas station and into my car, and all of a sudden I’m back to catching a cold. Why do you think that is?”

Well, my fellow bloggers, I, too, have wondered this very thing. And it brings me back to my childhood. This is just my personal take; it is not based on anything I have read or researched, nor have I proven this to be true, albeit there may be logic to my theory.

When I was a kid, my brother, sister and I would love to play in the rain after school. But when we’d come home with our clothes and shoes drenched, we’d get in trouble. My mother would often say, “If we were in Nicaragua I wouldn’t mind you playing in the rain. But the rain is different here. It makes you sick.”

I remember asking what’s so different about the rain. She never knew how to answer but would always say, “It’s just one of those mystical things.”

So, here’s my logic. There is nothing different with the rain. The difference is the atmosphere. Let me explain. We live in a first world country where most of the people have the luxury of owning A.C. We get wet in the rain, come into our homes and the A.C. is blasting, or we get into our cars and blast it in there. There is no doubt that cold weather/temperature facilitates colds and flus. Cold air dries the throat, allowing bacteria to wander about in that area. In third world countries, the common folk do not have the luxury of having A.C.

My mother said that when we were toddlers and still lived in Nicaragua, she’d let us play in the rain all the time. We never got sick from it. We didn’t have an A.C. back home so the windows were always open. What’s the difference? It wasn’t the rain, that’s for sure. The difference was the lack of air conditioning.