I thought my personal wellness journey was well under way. I was eating organic food, regularly practicing yoga, and using more natural cosmetics; except for one dirty little secret- I was secretly using antiperspirant.

Terrified of making the switch from my trusted chemical laden antiperspirant to the au-natural alternative; I feared that it wouldn’t work and my image conscious self would sweat and stink all day long.

I came to my wellness crossroad when a colleague of mine at Saje encouraged me to try one of our natural deodorants. In full transparency she warned me that, “For the first week or so, you might have moments that require a second application. Be patient. The toxins that have been trapped from the antiperspirants are being cleansed from your body.” It’s now been four weeks and I am happy to report that my body has detoxed and is now in a state of self regulated glory.

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Hi, I’m Emily, and I’m addicted to parties. The serial entertainer in me is always looking for a good excuse to host a gathering where my friends and family can be together under one roof.

This weekend is no different- well- the friends coming together part will be the same – but this time there will be more meaning behind our get-together. This Saturday, March 23^rd starting at 8:30pm is Earth Hour and it’s the perfect excuse to host a candlelight dinner party and celebrate our brilliant Earth.

Earth Hour is a global movement that is more than a ‘lights out’ campaign. The one-hour event is the single, largest, symbolic mass participation event in the world. Born out of hope that we can inspire others to take action on climate change, it symbolizes an international display of concern to save our environment.

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Wellness and caring for our health is an act of self-love and for some, this requires a shift in perspective.  In our society, putting oneself first is often frowned upon.  It is considered selfish, which has negative connotations.  In reality, how can we go out into the world to be the best we can be and do the best we can do without putting ourselves first?

Part of being the best we can be is by doing what we can to support ourselves.  While many outside factors contribute to wellness, we can reinforce our inner strength by making choices that support our wellness, so that in turn, we can be available not just for ourselves but for others too.  One of my favorite analogies on this topic is the oxygen mask used in the case of an emergency on an airplane.  In order to care for others, we must be able to breathe, to care for our own basic needs.  When the oxygen mask is fastened and we are breathing, we can then help others.  One of the best parts of being on the Saje team is that I am encouraged to care for my wellness.

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Most of us grew up with chemicals.  Everything from the dish soap in our kitchens, to the spray-on leather protectors, to scented body lotions…they all were concoctions of potent synthetic chemical agents.  Then the green revolution happened, and we all woke up to the fact that we were unknowingly housing all these bottles and cans that were harmful to our health and environment.  I remember feeling overwhelmed, not knowing quite where to start.  So I resolved that I would make the transition to clean living a gradual and organic one.

STEP 1: GETTING TO KNOW THE PRODUCTS AT HOME

I started to become aware of what was in my cupboards and countertops.  So I traded my aluminum-laden deodorant for a mineral salt-based one.  When my laundry detergent ran out, I made sure to pick out a sulfate-free substitute.  I stopped wearing synthetic perfume altogether, even though I so loved my Chanel Chance.  Dish soap – green.  Shampoo – clean.  Lipstick.  Toothpaste.  You all know the drill.

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Kris Carr discovered health, wellness, energy and vitality the way people typically do: by getting it wrong. At 31, she was living fast and hard as a “party hound and stress slut” until the day piercing abdominal cramps revealed she had a rare type of inoperable liver cancer.

But Carr’s battleship, or at least her attitude, is unsinkable. Thanks to her wicked sense of humor she kept her spirits up, shifted into research mode and switched to an anti-inflammatory vegetarian diet that incorporated loads of raw, fresh green foods to rebalance her body’s pH. Aside from full remission from a disease the doctors called terminal, she came out the other side feeling joy, lightness and renewed “sexy spark”.

Now her mission as a Wellness Warrior is to share her secrets with us.

Film footage of her treatments became the acclaimed TLC documentary Crazy, Sexy Cancer and she later married the film’s editor. Now she’s a motivational speaker, blogger, and New York Times bestselling author.

Her book Crazy, Sexy Diet is a charming and comprehensive manual on how to get your “god pod” into an optimum state of bliss. Aside from great recipes and fascinating scientific nuggets, the book includes a 21-day adventure cleanse.

It’s introduced by Dr. Dean Ornish, who says, “I love Kris Carr, she glows…. Consider this not a diet book, but a guide to living fully; not a meal plan, but a road map to self-empowerment, adorned with Kris’s unrivalled enthusiasm, humor, and compassion. By the time you finish this book, there’s a good chance you may love Kris, too.”

It’s a brilliant move to include brainfood from Ornish and 14 other superstar guest authors and doctors (and 40+ more on her website, including Vancouver’s own raw vegan Ultra Marathon champ Brendan Brazier.) These expert witnesses widen the breadth of knowledge and let us experience their expertise in their own words, which adds a nice variety to the book’s distinctive tone.

Her cheeky writing style makes this such a fun read that you forget your learning the secrets to vibrant health. Chapter 5, Go With Your Gut, starts with a warning that “we’re gonna talk shit” and follows with her twist on, you are what you eat: “…you’re also what you don’t poop. If you’re haluin’ around garbage in your cells, tissues, or colon, you’re literally waste-ing your vibrant potential.”

Not only does Carr teach you how to “dine with the divine” but covers sexy sleep, supplements, skin care, essential oils, meditation, the economics of eating animals, and how to deal with negative nellies who are threatened by your new-found success.

Get your keys to this very vivacious wellness Carr at http://crazysexylife.com/ – or pick up Crazy, Sexy Diet. Chances are good you won’t be able to put it down.

Do you celebrate your mastery and finesse?  Are you intimate with a posse? Do you rally and converse with your various parts (i.e., feelings, emotions, actions, words), regardless of their positivity? Recognizing your gifts, cultivating relationships and collaborating with all aspects of your human nature are just a few of the effective Tantric teachings that have invited more humour, dharma and love into my life.

It takes a lot of courage for me to remember and relish my unique flair. Once as I started to immerse my awareness and actions around my gifts, conditions in my life began to align. Life didn’t seem so edgy, or shall I say I didn’t seem so edgy? It was as if I stepped into my flow (i.e, dharma). Unfortunately I’m not in this flow 100% of the time…there are moments when I’m in the mud. But now I have the knowing to feel and see when I’m misaligned, and then I take steps to meet the flow. Whether they are baby steps or T-Rex steps I move toward my dharma.

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Do you believe in Valentine’s Day?

This is a question I’ve heard many times before, have always known my answer but never known why.  Yes, I always say, and last night I realized why…

Whilst twisted up in my least favourite yoga pose, our teacher told us to smile and open our hearts.  Easy for you to say, I wanted to retort.  Then she continued.  What she said was very simple and shut my ego up right away. “If we’re not here to give love and receive love, what are we doing?” Well that’s the best question I’ve been asked in a long time, and that question turned into my reason for believing very wholeheartedly in Valentine’s Day.

“It’s a event that Hallmark made up!” or “men should be nice to women every day of the year!”  These are the two common phrases that I hear in the “down with Valentine’s Day” argument.  Are they valid? Absolutely!  Both of those statements are true.  But I say, so what?  Why not use today as a reminder or excuse to give extra love?  I’ve never seen someone receive a Valentine and be mad … I’ve only ever seen smiles.  Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins, natural painkillers, and serotonin.  Together these three are a natural drug.  Well, who would say no to that?!  Certainly not me.

So I say, soak it all up.  Enjoy giving love and receiving love.

Happy Heart Day!

How to easily improve everything in your life this year…in ONE step!

The New Year arrives in a flash of optimism and a renewed commitment to my best health.  Suddenly it’s February, I’m clicking “Play Next Episode” and having ice cream for dinner.  Hmm.

What happened?  Why is it so fun to break our own rules?  Why is it so tricky to make Resolutions that stick?

If we combine intentions with habit, we can transform our lives beyond recognition.  Resolutions usually come from a soul-desire to improve our lives, but we express them with thoughts and judgments that come from the mind.  Resolving to lose weight or work out more because we ‘should’ doesn’t bring success.

A weight-loss study in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine is very revealing:  Of a group of women ages 30-50, half were asked to focus on the affirmation “I am making these changes for better health.”  The others used the affirmation “I wish I had the body I did when I was 20”,  which is really a negative self-judgment, and the women in this group lost 10-20 lbs less  than the women affirming a message of self-care.

We also LOVE to break our own rules, and will often make a Resolution based on unrealistic expectations simply to sabotage ourselves.  Drastic changes to lifestyle are hard on the system in many ways, from something as basic as being sore after working out a lot after a period of inactivity, all the way to deepening depression when we set ourselves up to fail.  In a study at the University of California at Davis, people who made small, evolutionary changes to their lifestyles experienced 75% greater success than those who made dramatic changes, like completely removing sugar from their diets.  When we deny ourselves comforts (even if those comforts are not great for us), we feel deprived, and this can lead to a feast-or-famine way of thinking and feeling.

What are the top Resolutions?  Weight-loss, better fitness, greater happiness, being ‘greener’,  increased productivity, release from addictions, being kinder to others…these are all worthy goals, so let’s make it simple, and do them all at once with one easy step.  Ready?

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This December 1st marked a really special day for all of us at Saje. A new Saje store on Robson! The DJ made us dance, the essential oil cupcakes made us smile and the hugs were plentiful. Check out the photos of all the fun times!

Co-Founders :: Excited!

What inspired you to start One Yoga for the People?

“I was living in Los Angeles and that is where I was first exposed to a donation based yoga model. I wanted a studio that was out of the box and had alternative payment options to make yoga accessible to everybody. I wanted to see change and evolution in our communities and I thought that offering yoga would be a great place to begin seeing that change. I felt that even if I were just serving a few people it would ripple out and impact the larger community.”

What has been the biggest benefit of having yoga in your life?

“There’s so many! One primary benefit is that I feel I’m able to see more beauty because of the practice of yoga. It allows me to have a lens that allows me to see clearly. I feel I’m able to see more beauty in everything around me whether it’s people I don’t know, people that are in my life, in art or in food.“

I’ve heard a lot of opinions on how often one needs to go to yoga, walk me through your opinion.

“Each tradition may tell you different things. Many if not most of my teachers have told me that I should practice every day….whether it is asana, pranayama, meditation or mantra. This I still do. But I feel that people can acknowledge that yoga is so much more than just the Asana. That a lot of it has to do with allowing yourself to drop in to a certain moment in time and that, in and of itself, can be a really strong practice. Don’t get me wrong, practicing Asana 2, 3, 4, 5 times a week or practicing everyday will provide enormous openings in the mind, body and heart, but there are so many people that can’t practice everyday and so I find that they get overwhelmed by the idea of practicing everyday and give up all together. That’s not what I want. I want people to acknowledge that if you can only make it to the mat 1-day a week and practice on really connecting to your breath and to each moment…then that is an amazing yoga practice.

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