Power Protein Shakes

Stop by The Dailey Method studio in Venice to grab this amazing-tasting, cold, raw, vegan, organic, protein-rich shake! This one tastes like banana, vanilla and cinnamon, and packs 19 grams of bio-available protein from sprouted raw brown rice! Spinach and other green goodies make this a hit on sooo many epic levels.

10 Tips to Discover Your Personal Dharma

Dharma is essentially your mission and purpose here in life, on this planet. It's what you do with your life. Even if you don't know what you want to do, there is probably something that draws you. If you start to release clutter from your mind (meditate or sit still and let go of consuming thoughts), you will start to hear a little voice inside. Sometimes that voice will only guide you to the next step. But it will get louder and more clear. If you have not yet discovered your personal dharma, then these steps may help you remove the blankets that are covering your light...

This is taken from www.glad.is and was compiled by Tabby Biddle. Enjoy!

10 Tips to Discover Your Personal Dharma:

1. Pay attention to synchronicity. Life is very good at guiding you, if you just pay attention. Notice what or who keeps showing up in your life. If someone or something shows up over and over, it’s likely that the person or thing is tied to your dharma.
2. Follow callings. Callings are those things that you feel deep inside guiding you that don’t necessarily make sense to anyone else but you. You feel a direction to do something, but it’s not through your mind. These callings are preparation for your personal dharma.
3. Know when it’s time to go. If you are feeling like it’s time to move on, then it’s probably time to move on. Your mind might be fighting you, but your soul knows best.
4. Be aware that it’s not linear. The path to your personal dharma may in fact feel like a spiral. Just when you think you’ve gotten there, you find yourself spinning deeper into some aspect. It helps to surrender to the notion that the journey isn’t always forward.
5. Make friends with the illogical. It’s important to know that your dharma is not necessarily coming from a rational place. If you are trying to over-mastermind it, you will probably drive yourself crazy, and your dharma will feel even further away.
6. Have a practice that connects you to a greater source. Whether it’s yoga, meditation, painting, or walking in the woods, it’s important to connect with a source greater than you because that’s where the information about your dharma lies and that’s where you’ll find the support to step into it.
7. Look at the people you admire. The people you admire tend to represent the greater aspects of you. Put on your detective hat. This can give you clues to your personal dharma.
8. Take it seriously, but be light-hearted about it. If you take discovering your dharma too seriously, you may not actually be able to see it. It helps to have a light touch.
9. Have courage to walk into the mystery. If you are committed to discovering your dharma, you’ll need to call in a higher level of trust.
10. Allow breathing space. Your dharma is not something you can “catch.” You need to take steps, then leaps, and then let yourself breathe. Patience is an absolute necessity.

 What is the change that you so deeply want to see in the world?

Your answer to this will give you an important clue to discover your personal dharma, your sacred duty, your mission here on earth.

This is taken from www.glad.is and was compiled by Tabby Biddle.

Prayer of Personal Forgiveness

PRAYER OF PERSONAL FORGIVENESS

I found this via "The Lovers Blog" on Tumblr. I think that forgiveness is necessary for forward motion in life. So coming across this was a beautiful thing, and I had to share it. 

Regardless of what you think or don't think of prayer, it is usually always an energy infused with love. I know the word "God" scares a lot of people, and often even acts as an isolator between people and communities. I love the word "Universe," because to me it encompasses both the divine invisible world, as well as the scientific rational world, and the place where the two converge in space and time... creating this beautiful experience called life. 

You can plug in the word Creator, Goddess, Divine Mother, Source, Infinite Light, Universe… whatever is most meaningful to you

I Bless This Day And Give Thanks For My Life
God, I Am Your Child, Your Humble Child

I Give You My Love And Thank You For Your Constant Love And Blessings

God, I Ask That You Help Me Forgive And Release, Completely And Totally, All People Who Have Hurt Me Through Thought, Word Or Deed, Knowing Or Not Knowing

Please God, Please God, Thank You God, Thank You God, Thank You

God, I Ask That You Help All People I Have Hurt Through Thought, Word Or Deed, Knowing Or Not Knowing, To Forgive And Release Me Completely And Totally

Please God, Please God, Thank You God, Thank You God, Thank You

God, I Ask That You Help Me Forgive And Release Myself Completely And Totally, For All The Times I Hurt Myself Or Hurt Others Through Thought, Word Or Deed, Knowing Or Not Knowing

Please God, Please God, Thank You God, Thank You God, Thank You

God, I Ask That You Help All Life Forms I Have Hurt, In Any Way At Any Time, To Forgive And Release Me Completely And Totally

Please God, Please God, Thank You God, Thank You God, Thank You

God, I Ask That You Help Me To Be Forgiven And Released, Completely And Totally. For All My Hurts Or Wrongs To The Earth And The Life Of The Earth Through Thought, Word Or Deed, Knowing Or Not Knowing

Please God, Please God, Thank You God, Thank You God, Thank You

With This Release, Freedom, Peace, Power, And New Life, I Bless All Creation In The Entire Universe And Fill The Entire Universe With My Love

I Love And Bless The Earth, All Life And All Humanity. I Love, Bless, And Respect, The Visible And The Invisible

I Rejoice And Give Thanks For My New Life, Power, And Health. And Give Complete Blessings And Love To All Life, Always

Thank You God, Thank You God, Thank You

For other beautiful prayers and words visit:
Howard Wills

Carmel + Big Sur

This past week, I had the extreme pleasure of getting to visit Carmel and Big Sur for the first time. I know, it's completely nuts that I have never been to either before, particularly since I lived in Santa Cruz, while attending holistic culinary school. I know that the north coast has its magic too, but I'm going to speak from my own experience, since I've spent more time more central. The air on the central coast is just different, and you can feel it immediately. It is like breathing in a fresh breath of love. I don't know how else to describe it. The air crawls up to your cheeks and the cold of the ocean bites you out of adoration. It becomes clear here (because it's easy to forget sometimes) that the universe loves you. The sky welcomes you home and it wakes you up. It invigorates the soul and brings the body back to life.

All year round it's my job to take care of other people, so it's important to take time off and take care of myself too. I was thinking about places within a reasonable distance, and this fit perfectly. There was something about this place that kept calling to me and I knew I had to go there. If you look at some of the places in which I have lived, like Boston and London, you can tell that I don't mind the cold... in fact, I welcome it if it takes me to a city (or countryside) that is beaming with energy. I like the cold because it tickles you awake and it encourages intimacy, fireplaces, snuggles and good conversation. And also, there is nothing more exciting than the wind. Here are some of my adventures through photographs:

Bixby Bridge :) 

 Cows eating grass on the open range, like they're supposed to.

There is something special about this place, as you can see by this picture. It almost doesn't feel real, like you're dreaming up a story in your head.

Hurricane Point. The clouds dance with the sea here.

 A water glass at Sierra Mar, an amazing restaurant and dining experience.

 Inside Sierra Mar. Here, it looks as if you are dining in the clouds.

La Playa Carmel, our charming little hotel. It was beautiful, and fireplaces have a tendency to woo me.

Ocean Avenue, the quaint main street in Carmel-by-the-sea.

Some Not-to-be-missed Spots in Carmel + Big Sur:

~La Playa Carmel for sleeping~

~Bixby Bridge for being inspired~

~Post Ranch Inn for being pampered~

~Sierra Mar for dining in the clouds~

~The Marinus Restaurant at the Bernardus Lodge for a romantic gourmet dinner~

~Sushi Heaven for some laid back good eats~

~The Chinese Foot Massage Place Next Door to Sushi Heaven for a cheap, fantastic massage (they do way more than feet here and it is great for relaxing after dinner)~

~Carriaccoli's for the best pink champagne in Carmel~

~Spyglass Golf Course at Pebble Beach for one of the best golf views ever~

~Monterey Bay Aquarium for some stunning sea life~

~Wrath Tasting Room for consistently good wines~

~Figge Tasting Room for some more consistently good wines~

~Luca Italian Restaurant for good appetizers and small bites~ 

I hope that you get to visit Carmel-by-the-sea, Big Sur and all the areas that surround it someday. If you can make it to Santa Cruz, I recommend that as well, as that's another special little area, though much different than these above here. xx, dani.

Get Glowing Skin

I wanted to take this moment to share my favorite skin care line, as well as a few tips for holistic skin care. I've done a blog post about my favorite natural skin products before, and Tata Harper's line was one of the ones included, but I am writing this again because I have continued to play around with all kinds of other natural skin care lines on the market, and still find hers to be the best. I am not affiliated with them in any way, by the way, no endorsements or anything. So this is just my truth and love of the product for you...

I first received one of Tata's trial sets last Christmas, and I noticed results within a week. I'm not exaggerating, and I have troublesome skin. I have battled acne all my life,  and I used to take Accutane when I was 16 (before I learned about the dangers of medications like that!) It should have been a red flag to me not to take it, when the dermatologist had me get my liver tested every month while on the drug. Accutane is now in the middle of a big lawsuit for what it has done to people's stomachs, and I, too, have suffered stomach problems since I took it. Well, I have long since learned the dangers of of drugs like that, and I can't change the past, I can only embrace the present and choose holistic options for my skin and my body now.

A lot of my skin issues have disappeared with a whole foods centered diet. But I do still have to worry about flare ups of blemishes to this day. So I have to be really mindful of what I put on my skin. I have tried completely food grade products as well, but I still break out or they leave me super shiny, etc. Tata's products are not easy on the wallet, but there are certain areas of life where pinny pinching won't serve you, and health is one of them. Tata's products are still not as costly as some of the crazy skin creams out there, but they are high. And that's because she uses the finest ingredients and also believes that in order to maintain a great company that continues to produce great products, all of her workers deserve to be paid fair wages for their hard work in bringing you the best skin care line in existence. Everything is grown on Tata's sustainable farm in Vermont and they have a truly beautiful business.

I believe in companies like this and would rather pay a little bit more on something that is clean, effective, sustainable and conscious, than a cheaper mass-produced version that makes similar claims without delivering. Feel free to browse their site and blog, because it is beautiful and will answer any questions that you may have! But see for yourself... their deluxe beauty sets are definitely affordable and you can do a trial run and see if I'm crazy or not... but, you won't be sorry, cause it works :)

Visit their site through this link, and you will receive 15% off your order

BIG TIP: It is also important to note that skin care comes from within as well. If you drink plenty of water, fresh-pressed juices and eat lots of fibrous vegetables-- both raw and cooked-- you will be on the road to beautiful, glowing skin. 

PHOTO CREDIT: These pictures were taken from the Tata Harper website and/ or her blog.

I hope you enjoy her products as much as I do!

xoxo
dani

Eat the colors of the rainbow.

The many colors of light will keep your body healthy.

The Thing That I've Never Talked About Online ~or~ What I've Learned About Miracles

A little over a year ago-- 14 months and 3 days to be exact-- my life changed suddenly, when my dad was diagnosed with stage iv cancer. I have never opened up about this online until now.

The diagnosis and the subsequent series of events caused me to go inward and really changed how I interacted with the world. Where I was once outgoing and excited to share my life, inspire and engage with others via social media, I suddenly withdrew. I became very protective of my family and the things that we were going through. I wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. I started having panic attacks that would leave me dizzy, with palms sweating and vision blurring. One time, this happened while driving and I almost took a nose dive off of Mulholland. Although these incidents were few and far between, they terrified me because they would manifest suddenly, without any apparent direct cause. I had never suffered from any sort of anxiety before. But the truth is that I knew the root cause. Anxiety doesn't just show up one day, out of "nowhere." Everything in life is connected. And the fear of losing my dad permeated everything in my life, on a deep, subconscious level.

I share this experience with you now, because I have since gained a handle on my anxiety and fear, and I want to be more open with people about what I've been going through, in case I can help someone else. At one point, my dad took a turn for the worse and the doctors didn't think he would make it. But I am able to write this now, because a miracle happened and my dad is cancer free. This post is not about my father surviving cancer... this post is about the silver lining that I have gleaned from it all. And all of the things that I have come to learn have been the result of my year long process of dealing with this, which has been generously nurtured by my spiritual practice.

There are a few important things that I hope you can take away from this message (and if you know anyone else who can benefit from them, please share this blog post with them): 

1.) Miracles can happen. My father was on death's doorstep. He had stage iv esophageal cancer that had spread to his lymph nodes and had manifested in other parts of his body. He had a botched surgery in which the doctors accidentally punctured a hole in his already dysfunctional esophagus, that was spilling out food into his chest and lung cavity. This caused his immune system to react against his body. When a hole is punctured in the esophagus, there is already a 70% mortality rate, and that's without the infection, without the stage iv cancer, without the 75 year old not-very-active body. Infection and pneumonia followed, almost killing him, and preventing the possibility of chemotherapy, during the time in which my father needed it most direly. I watched my dad go from the charismatic, strong (and sometimes intimidating) man I knew to someone who looked like a stranger. You see before, my dad never appeared weak to me. He always looked young and vibrant, even at 75. But in the hospital, he didn't look like my dad. He looked like a dying old man. I was preparing myself for his death. But "somehow" he recovered. He recovered from the infection. He recovered from the pneumonia. The doctors targeted all of his tumors with a special kind of chemo that has been especially effective in battling breast cancer. He had his esophagus removed and a new one constructed out of his stomach. And he just had one last surgery this past Thanksgiving on his stomach. How did this miracle happen? I don't know. I think it had something to do with a lot of love, a lot of prayer and a lot of letting go and surrendering to what is. One of the biggest lessons I have learned in life is that if you detach yourself from the outcome of any given situation, the more likely you are to get the outcome you desire. It is one of life's great paradoxes. But it takes true letting go, true surrender and true detachment-- not just trying to convince yourself or wish detachment. The moment you truly let go is the moment there is new room for a shift.

2.) After the miracle, remember to maintain that action of letting go. The doctors can save someone, god can save someone, etc. But ultimately a person can only save him or herself. Overcoming something is an incredible feat-- maintaining a positive attitude, remembering the miracle, continuing to live every day as if it were your last and taking care of yourself can be even more challenging. Don't impose yourself on another person. It is their miracle, their life. Your miracle is what you glean from a challenging situation. If that cancer comes back or if my father abandons miracle-consciousness, it is not my place to take it personally or try to control and protect his life. It is my job to work on myself.

3.) In order to receive a miracle, you must be willing to give something in return. What have you done to deserve your miracle? Bringing about more good in this world will probably make you a prime target for miracles. And the act of giving back can be a miracle in of itself. Also, you cannot receive something if you're already full. You must give something to make room for the miracle in your life.

4.) Always let your family and loved ones come first. If someone is sick and you want to be there, then be there. There is no time like the present and you never know when someone will be gone. Family and loved ones should always come before the physical nuances of life.

5.) Holistic healthcare can be effective, but it is best to be mindful of maintaining wellness before you get sick, instead of relying on holistic treatments later. The word holistic refers to treating every aspect of your life as a whole. If your stomach hurts don't just grab Tums. Figure out why it hurts in the first place-- your body is telling you something, such as perhaps there is too much acid in your diet. So clear the clutter in your mind, sit down and listen to your body. I am a huge advocate for alternative medicine and holistic healthcare. But let it be said: there were no holistic options left for my dad, and he beat this thing regardless (so far anyway.) My dad couldn't combat cancer with juice or a healthy diet, because he was hooked up to a feeding tube for 7 months. Now, did diet and a lack of health consciousness bring about his illness? I can say with near certainty, that it did. My dad consumed an incredibly acidic diet for most of his 75 years of life. But if my father's body was in such a horrific state, how did he overcome the cancer?

6.) Your soul is bigger than your body. Sometimes neglecting your soul can manifest as cancer and eat your body. And sometimes it takes your soul- and the souls of many- to revive your body and give you a second chance. It's not really mind over matter, you see... because the mind is part of the body. It is soul over matter. Do not be a slave to your body. Feed your body well and take care of it because it is your hotel while you are here and you're going to have to stay in that room for awhile. But perhaps if we pay as much attention to our soul's needs as our body's, our body will begin to reflect that same radiance as our soul.

7.) Your journey is your own. You are allowed to be human. You are allowed to be scared and to go through a trial of of ups and downs with whatever you are experiencing in your life. Be true to who you are, your eccentricities, your attributes and your faults. We can only do our best in any given moment. I believe in living a life with integrity, kindness, compassion, sincerity creativity and productivity. Those parts are up to you. It is up to you, whether you choose to engage in slander of another person or not. You can choose to do good in this world, to have stand-up character and to be a pleasant person to others. The rest you can't really control. So don't beat yourself up too much when you are going through something difficult and you feel weak. And even if you do happen to commit a big wrong, acknowledge your mistake, forgive yourself, move on and take actions to amend what you have done. Because while guilt can be a helpful emotion, relaxing into guilt is not proactive. You must learn from your mistakes in order to evolve and be the best person that you can be while you are here for this short time on this planet.

8.) The number one thing that helped me overcome my anxiety was connecting to the energy of love and light that is this universe, and drawing from it, in the knowledge that I am not alone. We are all connected and as long as you realize that you don't have to go through every painful thing by yourself, you will be amazed as to how much better you feel at that little acknowledgement in of itself. You can lean on a friend or you can lean on the sky... because it's all connected to the same source. And this source will love and support you no matter what you do, as long as you always make it your aim to bring about good in this world. Love thy neighbor as thyself, because that neighbor is part of you. Putting distance between you and another person, will only cause more pain and more war in this world. It is not easy to love an 'enemy.' But if you realize that someone's hatred is really a very deep unhealed wound within that person, it is much easier to be compassionate. And if you treat the wound with love, you will be surprised by the kindness that will come back.

If this inspired you, please share it with someone you love... the more we can share inspiration and love, the more we will realize that we are all friends, connected at the soul level, and the better this world can be for us and our children.