When a women changes her life for the better, everyone around her benefits. Women are the grounding force that affects everyone around them. I believe the wellbeing of the family and of our society itself depends upon women becoming healthy.

I know the saying, “If mama isn’t happy, nobody’s happy” rings true in my home. Taking good care of ourself is ultimately one of the most powerful acts we can do for anyone else. The repercussions of taking care of ourselves, allows us to care for our families, for others and our connection to the world for generations to come. Just do it!

Take one minute to watch Taking Care of YOU.

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Everyday Opportunities

Like you, this morning I took a shower. However, I wasn’t really in the shower. My thoughts were already in the future, driving my son to school, pondering what I would make for dinner, and then organizing my day’s work schedule. Like many of us, I was nowhere near being present with the task at hand. I was already wrapping myself up in stress that held the potential to ripple out to everyone near me.  By simply noticing my wandering thoughts and bringing my attention back to the shower, I began to feel the cleansing water’s soothing sensation on my skin and allowed the warmth of the water to relax my stiff muscles. I became aware of the moist air, smelled the fresh mint scent of my shampoo as I massaged my scalp, and took in the aroma of my lavender body soap washing away the staleness of the previous day. When I brought my attention back to the present moment, my awareness of these simple pleasures was heightened. After my shower —when I’d truly stayed in the shower—I stepped out clean, refreshed, relaxed, and ready to greet the day.

Each of us holds the possibility

Trying anything new can feel strange and for many of us, incorporating the practice of “present moment” or mindfulness can feel foreign or overwhelming as an idea. This 3,000 year-old Zen practice —simple, yet not always easy — is one of my best tips for creating peace and calm in my life. An instant tool for relief from the that dizzily-spinning-around-in-a-revolving-door feeling of trying to do it all. Instead, this always available practice allows you to equip yourself with the insight to make your own choices and create your own reality. It gives you the opportunity to respond and not react from a grounded, primordial place that everyone of us has the ability to tap into. Why not start now?

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It was my first job out of college, and it was overwhelming. I was twenty-two years old, green, fresh out of school, and scared. The hospital’s Neonatal ICU was a place of great intensity. I can still remember the yelling of orders. “Start an IV ASAP and get that drip going now!” And I’d scramble to do so, all the while knowing I had to hook up the heart monitor on a different baby, check a temperature, suction . . . a list of “to do’s” so long that I teetered on the edge, feeling so overwhelmed I did not know where to begin. There were so many critical tasks to perform, and so little time. As hectic and frightening as it was, those early days in my nursing career taught me to develop the ability to keep a cool head and allow intuition to move through me to get the job done. When I think back on those days, it was as if I had found a guiding presence from deep within, a calm intuitive whisper that led me. “Relax. Focus. One thing at a time. You know what to do.” Once I understood how to use this intuitive feeling, I have never stopped listening to that voice.

Motherhood doesn’t feel so different

Actually, for me, the challenges of motherhood do not feel so different, and that same feeling of trusting my intuition as a nurse continues to guide me as a mother. For me, as wonderful as motherhood can be– it also can feel overwhelming, hectic, and holds uncertainties. And the challenges and unknowns are constantly changing with every stage. Now, as a mother of three teenage children, I find that I have had the capacity to perform in ways I never thought possible. Much like my experience as an ICU nurse, mothering has shown me that my reservoir of intuition is deep.

My body knows long before my head catches up

Mothers utilize intuition every day, often unknowingly. Frequently my body knows long before my head catches up the right thing to do, and as a mom I have learned to use my intuition when I answer or guide one of my children. There have been many days when one of my kids is just off-key, not sick or in any trouble–yet, but if I need to get to the root of an issue I take a moment to pause, relax into my breath, and truly listen to what they have to say or observe what they are subconsciously trying to tell me. I feel solid as a rock when there are no barriers of assumption, nor judgment, nor criticism. This way of being present with my children drops me into to a place where my intuition can lead me, like the voice that guided me as a nurse. I find the same intuitive voice. And I listen.

Intuitive whisper helps me maneuver

Most moms call on their intuition and can “read between the lines” with their children. Even though most of us have it– most of us fail to acknowledge our gift and use it to strengthen our confidence in mothering. My intuitive whisper has become a very natural way for me to maneuver the challenges of motherhood and reminds me to believe in my own abilities. This I know for sure, and in this I believe.

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A first step in a fresh approach to bring a sense of calm into your every day is transforming reality and your relationship to it. Just as I need to delete my cell phone’s voicemails and my computer’s emails, my brain needs to download some space. Disconnecting myself through meditation and breathing, spending this time in silence reconnects me to another part of me. When I visit this quiet space regularly, I make room in myself to serve others better.

Abdominal breathing This is the quickest single thing you can do to relax Abdominal breathing is the quickest, single thing you can do to relax your body and therefore your mind. I use it constantly in my private practice of teaching others how to relax.

Bring your attention to your breath. Follow your breath, and allow your mind to be the observer, watching your breath coming in and out. Place your hand on your abdomen with your thumb on your navel, and let your other four fingers fan below. Feel your breath in your abdomen, and notice how your abdomen is gently rising and falling in rhythm with your breathing. As you breathe in, your abdomen rises. As you breathe out, your ab¬domen falls. This takes some concentration. It becomes easier with practice. Focus on your natural rhythm, smooth and effortless, breathing in and out. Let your breath soothe you, taking you to a place of comfort; the thoughts of the day disappear.

Add counting Adding counting is another option when practicing abdominal breathing. It allows you to occupy both sides of the brain, right and left hemispheres. In doing this, it keeps you complete¬ly focused on your breathing. Start with the number nine and count each inha-lation and exhalation as one cycle or round. Count backwards to zero. As you progress, you can in¬crease the number. If your mind wanders off, gently bring it back and start over with your counting.

Want Peace? Eknath Easwaren talks about dwelling on oneself as the root cause of most personal problems. He says, the more preoccupied we become with our private fears, resentments, memories and cravings, the more power they have over our attention. When we sit down to meditate, we cannot get our mind off of ourselves. With practice, however we can learn to pay more and more attention to the needs of others—and this carries over directly into meditation. The source is within us. My judgment or mood is projected onto someone else and it reflects what I am feeling, bouncing back to me. The relationship is simple: If you want to feel relaxed and peaceful you need to create a relaxed and peaceful feeling.

Do you take time each day to relax and let go in a healthy way? Can you notice when you are getting to the end of your rope? Just fifteen minutes a day can pay back big dividends to a more peaceful life.

Try out my free weekly fifteen minute guided relaxation at elizabethirvine.com

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On a summer trip to Canada, I was stopped in my tracks with the realization of how far my family falls short with our recycling efforts. I opened my friend’s kitchen cupboard to look for the trashcan. Instead of the doublewide I have at my home, her trashcan is the size of a small pail, the kind a child might use collecting shells at the beach. First I was surprised, and then came a rush of guilt. I thought we recycled! The difference is that our friends recycle absolutely everything—plastic, paper, glass—and they have a compost pile. That tiny bucket in their cupboard held only true trash: un-recyclable items.

Fell off the wagon When we moved to Houston, we discovered our neighborhood didn’t promote recycling, and we fell to just recycling paper. I come from a strong line of recyclers–my dad had us crushing aluminum cans and rolling newspapers logs for the fireplace ever since I was a little girl. And, during the fifteen years we lived in England, we joined in with a dedicated nation of fierce recyclers. When we returned from Canada, I realized we needed to get back to recycling, caring for the environment while we built family.

A family affair: start small and build; it’s contagious Now recycling is a family project. Our daughters, Allie and Sarah, volunteered to take turns delivering the recycling each week to our nearby recycling center. Sam is in charge of crushing aluminum cans and breaking down boxes, while my husband Ron and I rinse and sort. We have a nice little recycling station made simply out of a few bins in our garage where we sort our plastic, glass, and paper. The kids’ contagious response to our efforts was something I hadn’t anticipated. Once they “got it”— why it’s important to protect and nourish their planet, they got into the flow and often remind me saying, “Don’t forget to recycle that, Mom!”

Does your family recycle? That first step is always the hardest—but think how cute your new little trash can could be!

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As mothers, when we choose to dedicate our time and intention to taking care of our selves, the benefits emanate out to everyone we are near. If you are thinking, I don’t know if I can do that, or, putting myself first sounds selfish, let me offer you an example most of us are familiar with. When you board an airplane with your children and the flight attendant talks about plane safety, she says in the event of an emergency an oxygen mask will drop down. Put yours on first and then secure those of your children. Why? Because you’re no good to your kids if you’re passed out in the aisle. Though this sounds extreme, so many of us are so crazed and busy that, in effect, we’re already passed out in the aisle. Put on your own oxygen mask by beginning to weave simple practices of relaxation into your every day.

Relaxation in a nutshell This breathing and body awareness practice is something you can do anywhere, anytime—in your home, on a bus, in an airplane, waiting for your turn in line. It is a valuable tool to help you get in touch with your own body sensations and allow you to notice feelings of discomfort as well as refine the quality of your concentration. Do this practice every day and your body will respond in a beautiful way.

• Get comfortable. Begin by sitting or lying down. Either way is fine. Allow your attention to move to your natural breath. Simply notice that you are breathing.
• Notice your breath coming in, pause, and out. It’s like welcoming in a best friend. Natural, easy, effortless, and relaxed. Put your hands on your belly and feel your abdomen rise and fall with your breath.
• Become aware of your body. Feel the contact of your feet with the ground. Feel your hips wide and level, shoulders back and down, head and neck in line with your spine, chin slightly tucked in so the back of your neck can be long.
• Keep your attention on what you can feel, your sense of touch. Bring your awareness to your toes. Allow your attention to rest here. Notice every part of your feet: heels, toes (start with your little toe and count over to your big toe), balls, arches, ankles, enjoy noticing your feet.
• Now bring your awareness to your shins, calves, knees, thighs, pelvis, and buttocks—noticing. If your attention wanders off, gently and firmly bring it back to your body.
• Focus your attention to the back of your body: your spine, shoulders, back of your head—noticing. Now bring your awareness to the front of your body: abdomen, lungs—noticing the rise and fall of each breath, perhaps the beating of your heart. Bring your awareness to your shoulders, arms, elbows, wrists, hands, and fingers. Bring attention to each finger, starting with your little finger and counting over to your thumb.
• Bring your awareness to the back of your throat, jaw, tongue, cheeks, eyes, then your forehead between your eyebrows. Be aware of the crown of your head. Feel your whole body, from the top of your head down to the tips of your toes. Feel how your body is interconnected. Your whole body. Return to your breath and deeply breathe in and out. Notice how you feel right now.
• Rest in this feeling you have created, let it settle into you, wrapping around you.

Do you dedicate time and attention in caring for yourself every day? If not, could you consider trying this above relaxation before you get out of bed in the morning to set the tone for your day, or before you drift off to sleep at night to ensure a good night’s rest? Your body knows how to self-heal when it is allowed to be in a relaxed and still space.

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Taking a deep breath in, and out, not only relaxes me, it allows me to be mindful of the air I breathe–the interdependence, the relationship I hold with my environment. As a nurse and mother of an allergic child, teaching my son to be respectfully aware of his environment and his relationship to it, as well as to be diligently alert to his allergic triggers, keeps him in the best possible place of prevention to manage his sensitivity.

Understanding allergies Grass, food, dust, pets — common allergy triggers hide innocently around us everyday. Why is it some of us suffer while others remain completely immune? For severe allergy sufferers, like my son Sam, these type of substances affect his every action and his total health and well-being. For Sam, this ordinarily harmless “stuff” becomes silent, secret, and perhaps even deadly invaders. When these “invaders” come into contact with my son, they are capable of triggering a dangerous explosion within his immune system, which can produce an outbreak of uncomfortable, potentially severe, symptoms. These blameless culprits, often hidden from view, are a mine field of triggers for Sam to walk through every day.

Our body’s intricate and complex defense system The word allergy means “an altered reactivity”, and the antibody known as IgE (one of many our bodies produce) was discovered to be the main culprit in classic allergic conditions. An antibody is literally a personal bodyguard, a soldier cell produced naturally by the body to protect it from diseases or allergens. When these antibodies band together and attack, this is referred to as an “immune cell response.” When the response is activated, the IgE antibody (fighter cell) attaches itself to a mast cell. A mast cell’s job is to act like a bomb, causing an explosion. The newly produced IgE antibody becomes the “trip-wire” attached to the bomb, and when it is disturbed, it explodes.

Histamine bomb The explosion releases histamine into the bloodstream, which is what causes the sneezing, post-nasal drip, itchy, watering eyes. In asthma, it is the histamine’s effect on the smooth muscles of the bronchi (vital tubes that carry air to the lungs) that go into spasm, causing the classic “wheezing.”

False Alarm Most of us have walked past a blaring car alarm; when we do, we know that most likely the triggered alarm was set off by an innocent event, such as a strong wind or an accidental bump. This same scenario is often true with an allergic response. The mast cell, acting as the alarm, is triggered by an innocent substance (such as pollen, grass, or dust) yet nevertheless trips the alarm to sound. The malfunctioning gene of an allergy-sensitive body thinks the harmless substance is an unwanted invader. Though it’s misinformation, our body is trying only to protect us. Unfortunately, our system is activated and our body responds to the false alarm, releasing its histamine explosion along with its annoying repercussions that we experience as allergy symptoms.

Does anyone in your family suffer with allergies? Removing triggers from your environment—dust mites, mold, pollen, animal dander, can lead to big improvements. Ordinary substances you may not realize—body care items, cleaning products, and some of the food you eat–are some of the culprits that hold chemicals and can set off an allergic alarm.

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Recently, one of the world’s finest violinists played at a Washington, DC Metro station. For nearly an hour during rush hour he played Bach, gloriously. Thousands of people passed by as he played, and hardly a soul paid any attention, save a few children who were pushed to move on. Two days prior, this same man, Joshua Bell, one of the world’s most famous violinists, sold out a packed theater at $100 a seat. This is a true story: the experiment was organized by the Washington Post to explore people’s perceptions and priorities.

Reading this story made me stop and think about how I perceive beauty in a commonplace environment. Would I have been one of those “passersby”? Maybe. Do I appreciate and recognize beautiful sensations around me? What does this experiment teach me? If I were unable to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the finest music every written, how many other sights and sounds have I missed along the way?

Nature’s Orchestra For me, nature and my relationship and responsibility to it feels much the same; I want to be responsive to its beauty, whether it’s leading my kids through example in my efforts of recycling, or eating organic food, or using vinegar instead of a chemical-based cleaner. In nature, the grass continues to grow, leaves fall, snowflakes flurry, and the sun shines all in its own time, whether I notice this beauty or not. Paying attention to the ecosystem and its intricate synchronicity is like listening to the finest orchestra being played all on its own—it’s up to me to notice and care.

We are connected We are connected to our world—the water I drink, the air I breathe, the food I eat, and the sun that shines on my face. All are a part of me and I am a part of them. And, like those who hurried past the unnoticed musician, I am the loser when I don’t pay attention. The difference is that if I continue to be part of the crowd passing by, not taking any notice, then eventually one day the music may stop. I am as much a part of the ecosystem as any one instrument is a piece of the band. As a mother leading my family to health and wellbeing, how can I not hear the music and take responsibility to preserve something so intricately linked and sacred?

How can you can teach your children compassion, responsibility, and their connection to the planet that sustains them? It may be easier than you think. As mothers, leading through our own example is the most effective way to teach any new behavior.

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In 2003, my family returned to the United States after living abroad for fifteen years. After only a few days in the humid, allergen-laden Houston air, my son Sam had an asthma attack. Luckily, a precautionary “emergency” inhaler quickly dilated the bronchi in his lungs and he recovered. Based on my experience when he was a baby, I also realized that in this city–our new home–we were going to need some help to keep Sam’s body in balance. My first stop was locating a couple of good complementary practitioners who practiced natural medicine—an acupuncturist and a homeopath. This was followed by a trip to the grocery store to stock up on fresh food and, finally, naturally “allergy-proofing” his bedroom. In less than a week, Sam was back to normal and breathing easy.

Interpreting from one health system “language” to another On the glass shelves of my medicine cabinet these days, I find an array of herbs, medicinal products, and conventional medications. The combination allows me to care for my body and remain true to the most basic doctrine of medical law: “First, do no harm.”

There are many ways to create a disease-free, healthy life. Dealing with the illness of my own baby, I had to leave no stone unturned. Conventional medicine saves lives every day. If one of my children breaks an arm, we go straight to the emergency room, or if one has an ear infection, I use antibiotics when appropriate. But these examples involve fixing the body in crisis; I encourage you to create wellness—to prevent illness before it occurs. In ancient Asia, people paid a doctor for a healthy check up and went for free if they became sick—imagine if we could switch our emphasis to prevention! How many health care providers would jump on the bandwagon and turn their practices into well-being centers?

The “magic bullet” to keep up with the pace Returning to the USA, I realized that we Americans use conventional medicine as a magic bullet enabling us to keep up with the pace of society. It was a culture shock. Initially, I felt alone in a place that was supposed to feel like home. But I found ways to incorporate what I had learned overseas, and now my belief in holistic health and happiness partners comfortably with my training in medical science. As America attempts a major healthcare overhaul and I see our crippling problems with costs and the fear of interdependence on a fragile system, I recall those first few weeks back home. Weaving complementary practices through our healthcare system and through our own lives allows us to build and sustain total health and wellness, instead of reacting to problems as they occur.

Reach beyond the habit of using conventional medicine as a quick fix and reclaim the wisdom lying dormant in your own body. You will find yourself healthier and happier, feeling your interconnectedness to our world. As mothers, this approach to living takes many forms. Leading our families in living a greener life teaches them to value this sacred connection and the responsibility we have to care for our ecosystem. And, it can start in your own medicine cabinet.

Are you frustrated with our current health care system? Would you like to create wellness—to prevent illness before it occurs? Do you understand complementary therapies–how they work and why you may want to try one? Your body is capable of healing itself when given the chance.

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For years, my children and I have played a game whenever we see a FedEx truck. Imbedded in the letters of the logo there is an arrow. To see it, you have to look at the letters in a different way—soften your gaze and see past the letters to find the arrow resting inside. My kids could spot it right away, and they’d laugh, “Aw come on, Mom—you can’t see it?!” And then one day, sitting in a line of going-nowhere traffic, a FedEx truck pulled up next to me. Having nothing else to claim my attention, I relaxed and looked into the logo. The arrow emerged clear as day. Now that I know how to look, I see the arrow right away; I just had to “get it”.

See our self with gentle eyes It is the same with our health and happiness: children are more aware of their innate healing ability than we are. When we step back and see our body and its relationship to ourselves, to others and to our world with gentle eyes—seeing our true self, our true wellbeing—more energy, clarity, strength and joy come forward. It is always there, we just don’t always see it: our body’s own ability to self-heal, to stay in balance and create health and happiness from the inside out.

As a mother I knew this was unacceptable My initial journey in discovering the body’s ability to self-heal began with a sick baby when my family was living in London. My son Sam developed severe allergies that led me to search for a deeper understanding of the roots of disease. Top medical experts told me that Sam’s condition was unfixable, that the only treatment was to try and ease the symptoms and keep him comfortable. As a nurse, I understood the language of conventional medicine; as a mother, I knew this answer was unacceptable.

New possibilities in caring for his body and my own Over the years, Sam and I learned a more natural way of living—simple but powerful tools of food, yoga, relaxation, and myriad other ways of allowing the body to self-heal. Today, Sam is not only more comfortable, he lives virtually symptom free of his allergies. Through Sam’s recovery, I learned to walk a new, gray line, accepting both conventional medicine and complementary medicine as helpful and necessary. My son’s challenge became my portal to a new way of seeing, a place of new possibilities and the discovery of a new way of caring for his little body, and my own.

Do you feel you are at your best—plenty of energy, clarity and joy? Feeling this way is your natural state. When we allow our bodies to do what they do best, it is completely possible for us to feel good–for no special reason–every day.

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