I Love Woody Harrelson

Woody Harrelson wrote a beautiful poem called "Thoughts from Within" and it has been made into a video. It is beautiful and I recommend watching it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj0GZQdCct8&feature=player_embedded

Agrimony: An Famously Underrated Herb!

I just came up with what I deem to be the perfect herbal combination for a client and it happens to contain Agrimony: an herb that you may not even have ever heard of! That's because, as far as I'm concerned, it's grossly underrated. As my thirsty brain thirsts for ever more knowledge and information, I happily continue to drink in Matthew Wood`s wisdom from his book The Book of Herbal Wisdom. He features Agrimony in the book and rightly so!

Agrimonia eupatoria (the Latin name) is very well-rounded in it's applications though suited to a particular type, as are most herbs. According to the doctrine of signatures (a philosophy that states that as plants resemble certain parts or presentations of the body, so are they applicable to address ailments of those parts or presentations of the body), Agrimony is considered to be a tense looking plant and thereby is suited, as Wood clarifies, to a "characteristic mental state that revolves around tension, frustration, anger, and inner torment". This typical personality has a tendency to want to hide their mental state behind a facade of cheerfulness - a perfectly suited character for the application of Dr. Edward Bach's Agrimony in flower essences. Agrimony facilitates mental relaxation and sound sleep.

Agrimony is an astringent tonic, typically strengthening and toning tissues of the intestinal and urinary tracts. It has been used with success in instances of bed wetting and the fascinating thing about that is that it is best applied to children who are wetting the bed due to anxiety about toilet training. Would this therefore be a case of imparting relaxation to the anxious state or tonicity to the tissues of the urinary system? Wood points out that: "As we so often see in our herbal studies, a single plant unites opposite properties together under one roof."

As we also so often perceive in holistic practice, those that are challenged by, as Wood states, "anger, frustration, and fighting against the flow or a lack of confidence in the natural progression of events" typically have congestion in the liver. The liver is commonly related to issues of anger in alternative medicine. Agrimony clears stagnation in the liver and has historically been applied to cirrhosis and recuperation from alcohol and drug abuse. Naturally, Agrimony also addresses issues of the gallbladder, which is paired with the liver in physiology. In this sense, Agrimony is great for what Traditional Chinese practitioners refer to as "gallbladder headaches", where the pain travels from the liver and gallbladder, up over the shoulder blades, via the neck and into the head.

Agrimony also clears the kidneys of congestion and associated pain, as well as inflammation of both the kidneys and bladder. At this rate, it's no surprise that Agrimony is applied in instances of both gallbladder and kidney stones. Further, Agrimony is helpful for issues of the respiratory system, ameliorating tightness in the chest and even improving asthma. Agrimony has been used in cases of sinusitis, nagging cough, fluid in the lungs, excessive mucus production from the respiratory system and allergies.

Agrimony is a blessed herb for the intestinal tract, improving enteritis (inflammation of the small intestine), ulceration, colitis and bloody stools and, as a result, clearing eruptions of the skin, which are usually an indication of intestinal disorder. In addition, Agrimony has effect upon the cardiovascular and female reproductive systems. Agrimony lowers blood pressure, increases fertility, relieves painful menstruation and excessive menstrual bleeding. Finally, Agrimony has also been applied to eclampsia (toxemia of the body during pregnancy), poor peripheral circulation, brittle nails and hair, dripping urine, alopecia, intermittent fever, flu, rheumatism, bleeding cuts, joint injuries and burns.

Be aware that all of the issues and conditions mentioned that Agrimony addresses are also attached to a specific person. Know that herbal medicines are best applied as a "perfect match" to each type, personality and/or character. Though in using Agrimony, many will likely experience relief from ailments to which the herb applies, it's always best to consult a licensed herbal practitioner who is more versed in the application of particular herbs to particular conditions and those that experience them.

For an herbology consult with myself, please contact Prana Holistic.

Roberta Shepherd for Prana Holistic

Is there a success formula?

Learning the secrets and the "rules" of success is a passion of mine. I have spent the past 7 years studying, reading, listening and attending seminars on this topic, and hundreds of thousands of dollars and countless hours later, here are some of the things I have figured out: 1. You need a big "why" for any goal. This is your reason for doing what you do, and this reason has to be big enough to get you out of bed, and keep you working when you "don't feel like it". Without this, you get temporarily motivated, excited and passionate, but it will never last. You will set goals, New Years' Resolutions, and make promises to yourself, but you won't have the will to keep going when that initial burst of conviction wears off. 2. You need to understand your reasons for NOT wanting to achieve. Sounds strange, but our mind does not keep us from success to be mean; there is always a benefit your subconscious mind sees to stay exactly as you are, without your goal. Finding out what that is and resolving it is critical to your success. 3. The best way to tell your future is to create it. I see no reason to leave the content of you future up to chance. If you really want to achieve success, you need a very clear image of how you define that success. What does it look like, feel like, and sound like? Don’t limit yourself, because there are possibilities you could not even imagine from where you currently are, but get an idea. Since energy cannot be created nor destroyed, everything you want already exists; it simply needs to change form. Hold that image long enough and it will be drawn to you as you move towards it. 4. Act. Notice I said it will be drawn to you as you move towards it. I truly believe the universe can only do for you what it can do through you; waiting for your dreams to rain down from the sky will leave you waiting a great deal. Get clear and focused and then take inspired action, huge action, that makes your dreams inevitable. 5. Never stop readjusting and realigning. Success, like life, is never static. It will require you to be dynamic and changeable. Our knowledge doubles every 3 years, so you CANNOT keep doing what you have always done and expect to even stay the same; if you refuse to evolve, you are not only refusing to grow, you are actually DE-volving. Realign your goals and your actions with your purpose constantly. And embrace change; it is, ironically, the only constant. 6. Practice, and then simply let go and trust. Success requires practice. Just as working out for 5 days for 1 minute will not transform your body, inconsistent action and focus on your goals will not transform your life. You need to bring structure and order to any area that you want to be successful in. After that, comes the easiest and yet most difficult task – letting go and trusting that what you desire is already coming. This work is my passion. If you resonate with this Success Formula and want to learn more, I invite you to join Goal Ninjas: 6 Steps to the Kick Ass Life you Crave, starting November 6, 2010. If you want to learn more, check out www.goalninjas.com, or call Kristi at 780.454.5299

Fall: The Times They Are A Changin'. Need Stress Relief?

It's officially fall. The weather is changing. I've experienced reconciliation with old friends previously estranged and have terminated other relationships that were no longer serving me. I weaned my son off breastfeeding, put some weight back on and am feeling highly motivated and very optimistic.

Me: incredibly cool & good-looking due to my stress-busting skills!

Some might say there's a "shift" going on: I would agree. Things feel different. One thing that is refreshingly different for me is the way in which I seem to be choosing to deal with life's challenges. I always say that the definition of insanity is waking up in the morning, doing the same thing, and expecting different results. Well, when it comes to parenthood, it's sometimes hard to practice constant restraint - of fiery emotions that is - and choose to do things differently: with patience and understanding. Not that I wasn't a patient and understanding parent before now, but it sometimes felt that my patience was non-existent for prolonged periods of time, and this is only the tip of the iceberg - Caleb's barely  just over a year and a half! The awesome thing is that the things I've chosen to do differently are very slight, and yet incredibly effectual at keeping angry outbursts at bay.

So here's what I've been doing: breathing more deeply and mindfully more often, especially in response to what I commonly perceive to be stress-inducing events, and doing 15 minutes of guided meditation about 3-4 times a week. Frickin' easy and so impactful!

Here's an example of how awesome it's been working in my life: I hate whining. Hate it, hate it, HATE IT! Caleb's at a challenging age where he's on the brink of communicating verbally, but not quite there yet, so lots of whining happens. Often. I've started to take note of what my triggers are that entice a stress-response - anger and anxiety being my most common stress-responses that I notice right away. Of course, whining is a huge trigger. It's like nails on a chalkboard to me. So when Caleb starts to whine, instead of shouting at him, I take deep abdominal breaths. Perfect: I can focus through his choice to whine without blowing a wing nut.

Another great example: I've always had road rage. Lately I've been breathing deeply into my abdomen while I drive - awesome! No more road rage. I've been letting people in to lanes in front of me with pleasure and have noticed the reciprocal action of the universe in that respect: people are letting me in front of them equally as often. It definitely feels good.

What a difference I feel, going through my days with a sense of calm relaxation and acceptance of the world - just as it is - instead of being tense, angry, unreasonable and irrational. The meditation is where I've gotten the mantra: "I accept the world just as it is" from and damn, it works! Meditation always functions to give me a lasting sense of serene acceptance and optimism throughout my days. With this lasting sense of cool, I'm more productive at work and home, more organized and motivated, more sociable, articulate and direct in my communication and, my intuition is like a river: ever-flowing.

These two coping and self-care techniques are some of the more effective ones - FOR ME. Everyone has different estimations of what is stressful, and everyone copes differently with the stresses of their lives. If you are looking to cope better with the stress in YOUR life and very much like the sound of having a lasting sense of calm relaxation and acceptance of the world - just as it is, I strongly encourage you to join us for our Ultimate Stress Seminar, starting on Wednesday September 15th and running for 5 consecutive Wednesdays, from 6-7:30p.m. Within these sessions, we will help you discover YOUR triggers that activate a stress-reaction and find the best coping techniques for YOU. I very much look forward to seeing the calm and relaxed faces in the room and out on the streets of Edmonton once all is said and done.

Roberta Shepherd for Prana Holistic