How to Create Love this Valentine’s Day

How to Create Love this Valentine’s Day

-by Brenna Taylor

Valentine’s Day is almost here again. Maybe you aren’t feeling valentiny at all. In fact, maybe you want to hide away, and you just don’t feel like getting out of  your negative-nancy rut. Instead, you want to gorge, whether it be on food or on negative feelings. But I can promise you that will not help a thing. So let’s agree to put down the pizza, put down the putting-yourself-down and slowly, carefully walk towards the light.  

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Get Empowered! Breaking the Cycle of Giving Up.

- by Carol Jensen

This time, I was going to stick with the changes. But the spinach in the fridge is getting slimy, the pineapple on the counter is brown and mushy, the kids have eaten the grapes (Drat! Those were expensive!), and the apples are taking valuable space. I always feel like I need to apologize for being so wasteful, even as I dump the spoiled produce.

Gotta do better, I always say to myself. Is there a way to get over this cycle of start and slide, start and slide? Read more »

Yoooo hooooo, Beautiful

…no matter how grumpy, frumpy or crusty you get…

Awe-struck admiration,

A Note from the Diva

6 Essential Steps to Beauty, Peace & Vitality

- by Eliza Ceci

“Your body is the harp of your soul. It is yours to bring forth sweet music or confused sounds.” – Kahlil Gibran

As a woman it is instinctual to want to feel beautiful, desired and magnificent. Over thousands of years of evolution and change women have remained the constant to the ebb and flow of life. Feminine energy remains the yin to the masculine yang balancing the abrasive edge of the ‘man’s world’ with intelligence, beauty, grace and creativity.

With the day to day stresses of the modern woman’s life it is no wonder women are feeling disempowered, unfulfilled or lacking when it comes time to evaluate their health, happiness and overall vitality. We are running the show, wearing multiple hats and overextending ourselves by staying late at the office, volunteering or saying yes, yes and again yes to obligations inevitably to be accepted and appreciated. This overextension of our time and energy creates stress and often dis-ease in the form of headaches, digestive issues, PMS and complications with our menstrual cycles, adrenal fatigue and even emotional eating and bingeing.

We all know nutrition plays a key role in the way we look and feel (but what about our internal state?) Why do we sabotage our opportunity for vibrant, fabulous skin, hair and bodies on a regular basis? Read more »

Relationships on the Women’s International Summit for Health

As you know, last night I escaped for a time of play with the love of my life. I got all gussied up and hit the town in my high heel boots.

We ate a great salad in a trendy restaurant, then hit the red-eye cinema for a late romantic comedy. It was at about the moment we arrived at the cinema that a subject came up in our conversations which “rubbed me the wrong way”.

Let’s blame it on the hour, my infamous red hair, or the “stress” we’ve both been under, but cuddles turned crusty and we ended up in a back and forth bickering session that finally resolved itself at 6:11a.m., when we decided to make our way to the top of the mountain to watch the sun rise.

It was magnificent. A new day. A new perspective. A renewed commitment to trust, to communicate, to believe always in the best parts of each other and to open ourselves further to love and to Life. It all ended in kisses and gushing affection, with the remarkable feeling that we’d both just discovered each other for the very first time.

How appropriate that tonight’s line-up of speakers is on “Relationships”.

Tonight’s interviews will go a long way to inspiring your commitment to powerful, positive relationships. Here’s a bit of what to expect from this evening’s 5-star line-up!

Enjoy!

Marianne Williamson (Interviewed by Shannon Leone) If you only listen to the first 10 minutes of this interview, it will have been worth it. Shannon shares the story of what happened to her when she was lost, orphaned and homeless as a young girl. Marianne’s reaction is surprising! Then later in the call, Shannon practically got her wrists slapped for making a comment about “mother-in-laws”. Marianne Williamson is not to be missed, but, neither are…

Gay and Katie Hendricks (Interviewed by Tera Warner) It’s almost unreal the degree to which these two people emit love and complete affinity for one another. love d this call. They are such a dynamite team that even listening to them will have a profound impact on the way you interact with your partner. They talk about “commitment” in a way that made my jaw drop, and they have mastered the art of loving one another and themselves fully, but it wasn’t always that way, and they admit it on this call.

Mat Boggs (Interviewed by Tera Warner) If you have ever been in a bumpy relationship with a man, then prepare for a few forehead slaps! I can’t count the number of times I thought to myself, “If only I have known that before I started dating!” This call makes time fly! Mat’s playful personality and shockingly accurate insights will keep your pen busy scribbling notes to prep you for your next encounter with a “man”.

Heather Forbes (Interviewed by Tera Warner) Let’s address some of the most important relationships of all–the relationships we have with children. Whether you have children of your own or not, today’s children will be your opinion leaders tomorrow. We are all responsible for the well-being of children on this planet, and this call with Heather Forbes should be pre-requisite to parenting and would be common knowledge in any truly peaceful civilization, and as Heather says, it really all comes down to love.

There have been a lot of questions coming in and I’ll spend some time this evening to answer them on the blog. Questions about the availability of calls, how to upgrade to the recordings or our online monthly coaching program, etc. For now, fix yourself a hot cup of tea and settle in for some ultra empowering information.

At the end of your life, you won’t care if you ate enough broccoli or if you went to the gym three times a week, but you will look back at the relationships you’ve had and wonder if you loved the best you could.

Raise the bar on your relationships tonight!

Love!

Tera and Shannon

www.wishsummit.com

The Truth About Diva Notes

People might think that I send out my diva notes as a way of uplifting others, but that’s not the whole truth. You see, for every ONE email I send out to the world, I get dozens back. In that respect, one might see this as a rather selfishly motivated venture.

Few things will raise a person’s sense of self-worth more
than the ability to help others.

TAll the fussing you’ve been doing to lose 10 pounds so that you’ll feel a bit “better”. Spend 15 minutes doing good deeds for elderly people in a retirement home and watch what happens. Teach a little kid to tie his shoe laces.

We put so much attention on food and diet and nutrition, but Life is about relationships, attitudes and the contributions we make to the world around us.

This morning I took a moment of tranquil reflection to finally write a “diva note”. In case you don’t receive them, you’ll get them when you sign up for the FREE 7-day raw food detox we offer. This is what I sent out this morning.

Lovebeam,

I’ve missed you.

I’ve been just swamped in preparations for WISH, but I’m here this morning with a doozie, so listen up, Si-star!

While interviewing Ali Brown for WISH, she shared with me a quote by Jim Rohn, which goes like this:

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

Whoa.

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

WhooooOOOoooaa!!

It took a few days for this one to sink in, but when it did, I started making some adjustments. I started getting a bit more choosy about the people with whom I share my time, my attention and my resources.

Have you been accepting certain conditions and situations because you feel you’re not “worthy” of something better, or “not there yet”? The speakers of WISH will remind you again and again to behave as if you already are where you want to be.

You don’t need to wait until you’ve got a hot pink convertible and your own official fan club to start acting like a superstar, my dear. It’s the other way around. You’ve got to think like a superstar, act like the superstar you ARE, then you’ll feel so good you’ll finally start doing the things you most want to do in the world.

That’s when you get the hot pink convertible.

Insist on quality ingredients in Life and love.

You are worthy.

Founding member of your Official Fan Club,

—————–

One of the cool things about inspiring and uplifting other people, is that you get a mega dose of inspiration and uplifting back. Immediately after sending out my message, I refresh, refresh, refresh my inbox to see if any responses have come in.

Check out some of the emails I received this morning;

“Tera,

I signed up for the 7 day raw detox months ago (I think back in November), but I never really did it.  Life became really bumpy for a while there with an unplanned pregnancy, a disappointing reaction from spouse and a subsequent miscarriage.  I have been “out of sorts” since then and have yet to really feel like I have regained control of my life, health and wellbeing.  I gained 20 pounds that I haven’t been able to shed and just haven’t felt the “spark” that I used to. I printed all of the 7 day detox materials when I originally signed up and have considered starting several times since then.

Finally TODAY, I am on my 24 hour fast!!  How great it was to come in to work this morning and see your email!  (Is it possible that you could have known I needed it?)   I am beginning to think that, in spite of the fact that I am just starting it now, signing up for the 7 day raw detox last year was one of the best things I have done in a long time.  All things happen for a reason, and I am realizing that, while November might not have been the right time for me, NOW is the time!  Because I have read through the materials so many times since November, I feel very prepared for the next 7 days.  I am looking at the detox week as the beginning of my “Kristin’s Got her Groove Back” phase of life.

Please know that you are making a difference in the lives of others, and you have made a difference in my life.  Your emails were there at times when it felt like no one else was.  You are like my secret little cheerleader – one that I have especially needed over the last couple of months.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.  What else can I say?

With much gratitude,
Kristin”

Gushing gratitude from every pore, messages like these fill me up better than green smoothie ever could. Check out this one! It’s even from a MAN! OH YEAH! I loooove that we’ve got a male following in Divaland. You gotta be a cool cat to be comfortable hanging out with a bunch of “raw divas”:

“Dear Tera:
You absolutely magnificent ray of SUNSHINE. Just let me say I find in your emails and website a joyful sense of life and SPIRIT that I have to say I love what you are doing, you are most perfectly suited to it!!
Sincerely, Grant

And more and more and moooooore:

“Dear Diva, your emails are the sweetest, most inspiring and uplifting messages I receive.  Thank you so much for the beauty and joy that you bring and inspire in others.  xoxoxo”

————-

“Hello beautiful people

I have been receiving these notes for a while now and reading them with a smile.  However, this time I just had to send you a thank you for this wonderful note.

It is a lovely thing that you take the time to do and I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to make people feel better about themselves and their lives.

Thank you and Bless you all!

Alice xxx”

And this one… this one made my heart skip a beat:

You just don’t even know!!!…This note may have actually saved my life today! I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue. Thank you my sister!

In love & light,

C.

When you realize the impact your choices have on other people, you’re inspired to improve, persist, be the change you want to see in the world.

At the end of your days, it will not be what you did wrong or what you said to offend that takes up your attention. It will be regret for what you did NOT do or say to make things go right in your life.

Dive in and take your life head on, Sunshine.

That’s the only way to go.

Love, boundless support and gushing admiration,

Tera

In Celebration of International Women’s Day

In celebration of International Women’s Day, the biggest WISH there’s ever been is coming true. On March 8, 2010, women from all around the globe are invited to attend W.I.S.H. (the Women’s International Summit for Health) – a series of free on-line interviews with leading health and wellness experts who answer the most pressing questions faced by women of all ages and from all cultures. This incredible summit is produced by Tera Warner, the dynamic force behind the web sensation, The Raw Divas [www.therawdivas.com].

Women can register online for W.I.S.H. at www.wishsummit.com and listen to the entire series of interviews for free from March 8-19, 2010.

For 10 days, women will come together to hear the stories and share the wisdom of a star-studded list of 40 speakers. In the first week, W.I.S.H. presenters explore the subjects of sensuality, spirit, food, and relationships. The second week’s stimulating topics include fitness, beauty, health, money, attitude and family. Whether it’s the kids, the cellulite, the hot flashes or steamy romances, W.I.S.H. promises to bring women’s pressing questions to the agenda and get them answered!

The list of distinguished experts participating in the Summit reads like a who’s who of so many vital areas of concern: New York Times best-selling authors Janet Attwood (The Passion Test); Neale Donald Walsch (Conversations With God); Rory Freedman, animal rights activist and author of Skinny Bitch; Sheila Kelley, creator of The S-Factor; Susun Weed, internationally-acclaimed herbalist and author of Wise Woman Herbal; Donna Gates, creator of The Body Ecology Diet and many, many more!

Program creator, Tera Warner, suggests that, “If you ever heard yourself whisper aloud, looking for help in your moment of struggle, then chances are we’ve heard you.” Tera adds, “A group of remarkable individuals have come together to share their wisdom in the hope that they will be able to change the way women view themselves and their lives. I am so thrilled about the possibilities of what will come from this miraculous opportunity.”

Tera Warner is a spirited online entrepreneur with a passion for developing projects that empower and inspire women. Having built a community of over 30,000 women through her Raw Divas, Green Smoothie Queen, and Body Enlightenment System projects, her vision was to create a virtual community that would touch the lives of millions of women around the world and empower them to dream big. She’s partnered with world-renowned conscious parenting expert, Shannon Shakaya Breeze, to help make this wish come true for the benefit of all women.

Doctor’s Orders: The Results of My Health Consultation with Dr. Ritamarie

Well, last night was pretty interesting. There were a LOT of other people listening in last night as Dr. Ritamarie gave me a rather complete health consultation. I thought it might be useful to share a bit about what I learned, though I would still encourage you to check out the recording for the juicy details.

The biggest things I wanted to address were:

• my cyst
• my lowered immunity
• my late-night eating and salt cravings

There were a few other things in there, as well, but these were the biggies.

At the end of the call, here’s what came out of it and what I’ll be doing to get a solid grip on my health and high-energy living.

First of all, chances are pretty great that I’m running a Vitamin D deficiency. I suspected this and now will be dosing up on D to help handle the situation. I’m a bit too stubborn to get tested, so asked for a supplement regime that wouldn’t hurt me and would still help me catch up. Knowing that I live in a Northern climate, knowing how little sun I got last summer, and observing the fact that my immunity seems to be challenged right now, I’m going to dose up on:

• 10,000 units/day of Vitamin D for 2 weeks.
• Then 4,000/day for a month.
• Then down to 2,000/day.

I’m on GREEN JUICES and green smoothies, BIG TIME. But more green juices than green smoothies. I’ll be doing the 6-Week Detox, and will follow the protocol and recommendations that are a part of this program, but I’ll also be starting out with a minimum of 4-days/week on liquid green love and working on an ideal 6-8 weeks on liquid–green smoothies and green juices. She said I could add some salads, and I’m sure I’ll do that.

There were some very interesting ideas circulating about salt, and if you listen to the consultation, you’ll hear my epiphany! Very interesting to observe how the mind works its magic on us!

The other things I need to do are try to get to sleep earlier and wake up EARLY instead. Going to sleep after 10pm is likely to kick up late night food cravings. I love this idea, but it’s practical application in my life continues to evade me. There’s something serene and peaceful about waking up at 3 or 4 in the morning ready to start the day, but I’m not sure I can commit to getting these regularly any time soonn.

I’m supposed to dose up on wheat grass (*gag*) and put hot compresses on my cyst. I’m supposed to measure it and see how it changes over time. I’m going to up the sea vegetables and supposed to add more Omega fatty acids. I thought all that Omega fatty acid stuff was a big ol’ conspiracy, but it seems Dr. Ritamarie is convinced and has seen a lot of benefits, and so she’s putting me on hemp, chia and other delightful omegalicious eats.

I’m supposed to go to hot yoga twice a week and run four times a week for half an hour. I’m supposed to do weights, too.

Okay, maybe somewhere inside I knew those things. Maybe I knew most of what I needed to do, but I know I would never have done it if I’d not had someone else there telling me, reviewing and guiding me. I am committed to doing the 6-Week Detox and by investing in a health consultation for myself, I’ve just stepped up the intensity a few notches. I admit, that having invited 30,000 people to come and listen in on my health consultation is motivation enough to get some results.

What’s going to motivate you?

Back to our 21-Day Challenge:

I looked at my new journal for 2009. I’ve writted some great family goals, personal health goals and romantic goals, too. I’ve taken the time over the last couple days to sit down and invest in my health–put my attention on some serious health goals. Now I need to apply the discipline to make things happen.

It’s been a bit more chaotic and free-flowing than planned, this little 21-day challenge, but what I love about it is the fact that rather than putting a whole bunch of pressure on my shoulders to put my new years resolutions in place on the 1st, I’ve given myself some time to implement positive changes and plan, dream, envision and build the foundation for a great year to come.

If you’ve been following along with me, then just check in and see where you’re at on the following major life areas that we agreed we would address:

1. Attitude
2. Fitness/Activity
3. Spirituality/Creative Expression
4. Sensuality
5. Health
6. Family
7. Relationships
8. Beauty
9. Home
10. Money/Abundance

I know that I’ve covered attitude. My attitude is great. hee hee… Working with Dr. Ritamarie I put in place my fitness related targets for this year. Now I need to make them happen. Spirituality and creative expression for me have a lot to do with personal study–the time and energy I invest in understanding Life and myself better. I have some targets related to study that I’d like to put in place and will start working to make that happen.

Health–certainly look at some big targets yesterday with Dr. Ritamarie and I have my work cut out to make these things happen.

I suggest that if you’re following along with the idea of doing a 21-Day challnge, you take out your journal and just see which areas of life have fallen in place for you so far.  I wrote the list of major life areas down in my journal and will continue to lay down a few of the targets I have for each area. The watch as life wriggles and weaves its way into my hopes, dreams, visions, etc.

Oh my! What do you know?! How remarkably coincidental that these categories/life areas we are addressing here on the blog seem to align themselves exactly with the major topics of our WISH Summit!! Coincidence? I think not. I hope you’re signed up, Sunshine. I’m so, so, soooo excited about making this event happen! But for now, in order to meet a few of my health and fitness targets, I’ve canceled some appointments and put myself on the top of the to do list.

I’m off to shop for greens and make my day a winner. Hoping yours will be, too.

Smooches and chlorophyll kisses,

Tera

Toilet Talk and Other Pertinent Poop Issues

Today is Monday and it feels like things are getting back into full speed ahead mode after the holidays. I’m certainly glad I’ve given myself these 21 days to put things in place. I know today is supposed to be the day that we buckle down and address fitness, but I need to interrupt your regularly scheduled 21-Day Challenge programming with an announcement about toilet talk and other pertinent poop issues.

Okay, so I need to get right down to the juicy stuff here because I’m just aching to share with you my big news. Brace yourselves, if you’re the sensitive type.

Around here it is to be expected that if you’re talking about food, you’re talking about poop. I have yet to meet a woman with whom I couldn’t have a great conversation about the pleasure of a satisfying bowel movement. Either we’re consitpated, gassy, bloated or just irregular, but without exception we all know that the pleasure of a productive bowel movement has been daringly, but not unjustly, compared to the pleasure of a sexual orgasm.

In the last few hours I’ve had four intensely pleasurable experiences of the non-sexual variety and I feel like a new woman!

The secret?

I’ll tell you in a moment.

As you know, I’m prepping for the 6-Week Deep Tissue Detox. It’s starting in just a week and today is the first day I’ve really been able to consider getting myself on track for food and prepping myself for the detox that’s coming. The timing is PERFECT for a detox. After the travel, irregular sleep, mashed potato indulgences and other chocolate-coated conditions that come with the holidays, I am so ready to clean out and clear up. But more than that, I’m ready to learn.

I’ve been at this now for seven years and am astonished still to realize to what degree I am the byproduct of the information I’ve been fed by other health enthusiasts. I can remember when I first jumped on board the raw food bandwagon, I was rubbing noses with a lot of friendly fruit-eaters and running about 30km on an average Sunday afternoon. I was doing my best to learn the ropes and ask questions and get the results I was hearing about.  Unlike many raw foodists, I didn’t come to this lifestyle seeking health improvement. I was simply curious.

I was following a pure path at first. Avoiding salt was a spiritual arm-wrestling match unlike any other I’ve ever had. The white-knuckling didn’t last long for me. The recommendations I followed at the time were probably better than what I’d been doing before, and so I got results. I still felt bloated and constipated and remember asking about enemas and colonics at the time and got a big ol’ resounding “NO!” That’s “BAD”. The ideas put out were that some people have had enemas and colonics and then never had a natural bowel movement again in their lives.

Last year after encountering a few health professionals that do recommend and use enemas and colonics themselves, I decided to call upon Michael Perrine and ask him to give me the “Scoop on Poop”.  Looking back at 2009, I can honestly say that one of the best things I did for myself was invest $20 in a rubber enema bag from my local drugstore! SUCH a good move. The reason I’m telling you all this is because I don’t think you should believe anything I say. I think you should find out for yourself.

With the 6-Week Detox coming up, this is the perfect opportunity to learn for yourself what happens when you really clean out your body and understand more about what’s going on inside it. We are so indoctrinated to avoid things, fear certain practices, etc. Inform yourself honestly and objectively, then try stuff. Listen to the teleseminar that I recorded with Michael and read some of the comments left by other people and have the courage to walk your own path. The reason I started all this toilet talk in the first place, actually has nothing to do with enemas, but is related to bacterial balance in the gut and my extremely productive morning on the throne.

Here’s the secret to my high productivity:

The last time we did the 6-Week Detox, I learned SO much about the gut and healthy bacterial balance, but I didn’t really apply it all. Over the last few days I’ve been drinking LOADS of fermented Kombucha and may I just tell you that stuff works!! I could never be convinced that enemas are a bad thing because they have just done way too much good for me. And now I am most thoroughly convinced that drinking and eating fermented foods is a health-building habit to have and one I intend to keep for a long time.

Through Crudessence we’ll be offering a fermentation workshop very soon. You can access the Crudessence calendar for more details if you’re in the area.

As for you, my dear, and our 21-Day Challenge, please spend some time tonight dreaming of your fit, hot body and how you feel when you’re fitness is at its ideal. What do you want to do and how often? Set your ideal scene and tomorrow we’ll do some action steps and target setting to put things in place. I know today and tomorrow are devoted to dreaming of and putting in place our fitness goals for the year, but with my glorious gut adventures this morning, I simply had to tell you how excited I am about learning more, about deconstructing the myths that I didn’t even realize I was operating with.

I mean, I’ve heard all this bacteria stuff and people say it works, but holy smokin’ toilet seats, now I’m a believer. If you’re joining us for the 6-Week Detox we’ll make a believer out of you, too. Otherwise, start googling about fermentation, Sister!

Okay, back tomorrow with the fitness focus!

Love and laughter,

Tera