Total Chak
Hope this email finds you really well! Or perhaps you're rebooting your wellness journey as the seasons shift and we emerge from our yearlong cocoons.
Being grounded in self is one of the first steps to finding sustainable, whole-life wellness. You might not know I'm a Certified Food & Spirit Practitioner. That's spirit as in soul, not libations, although I do make some mean clean cocktails! I also know how to balance chakras through various modalities like food, movement, meditation, affirmations, and shifts in perspective.
Chakras are energy centers in the body that extend from the tailbone to top of head, each one having their own quality and significance. They may seem illusive, but when you experience how they connect you to the expansive energy around you, they are so real it's shocking. For example, take their rainbow colors. The bottom red root chakra is like the earth's fiery center and the crystal clear crown chakra up top is like the sky. Here's a very brief explanation of each, but I could go on for days...
The root chakra - red - tailbone, down to feet - what you were given upon entry, your body, your country, your family, the part of you that could be cloned.
The flow charka - orange - space below your navel, reproductive organs, where we're created - what makes you uniquely you, your emotional hub, your expression of self, the part of you that could never be cloned.
The fire chakra - yellow - navel - your personal power, your core strength, the energy you use to express your self.
The heart chakra - green - your heart - all about love for self and others, giving and receiving.
The throat chakra - blue - your throat and mouth - speaking the truth to self and to others.
The insight chakra - purple - your third eye - your inner knowing
The crown chakra - lilac or white - top of head - your highest self, connection to spirit
So, just like a plant, for you to bloom into your most vibrant self, you need to start at your root. Being grounded allows you to hear what your body and spirit are saying and lets you respond, not react. You might even give your inner voice a little flare by embracing the accents, or in my case swear words, of your ancestors. Moreover, when you feed yourself foods your ancestors made, it truly brings you home.
For me, one grandma made matzo balls swearing in Yiddish, and the other cooked meatballs cursing in Italian. I grew up Jewish, having lasagna for Hanukkah dinner cooked by my mother who is 100% Calabrese and didn’t swear until we taught her how. My dad, who is 100% Ashkenazi, ate it all up!
Me, I'm exactly 50/50 to the T, and I grew up eating food made from the heart no matter whose home I was in. Making these familial foods and enjoying them with my family now is pure grounding joy. Nothing says "I'm home" like the foods from my family.
I'm excited to share my cherished Healthy Italian Menu with you for my upcoming batch cook class, this Wednesday, 3/31, 12-2pm. It's pure comfort food to me and the smells that fill my home are intoxicating. Class includes recipes, shop list, zoom cooking lesson, and delicious food made by you with love for you and your family. Recording is available for 7 days if you can’t attend. Details below.
When I master a gluten-free matzo ball that is as dense and fluffy as what I grew up enjoying, I'll let you now. Hard to mess with a Jewish Italian mom's masterpiece.
With heartfelt intention...
Pam, CHHC, E-RYT
