You Are Where You Eat

Screen shot 2013-06-03 at 7.42.02 PMThis crossed my mind the other day – in the Western World, we have become so obsessed with capitalizing on anything we can that we’ve even stripped food of it’s nutrition and put it into vitamins – just so there would then be two things to buy instead of one. How ingeniously stupid!

I didn’t fully feel the effects of this until I visited my parent’s in Ecuador a few weeks ago. The tomatoes there were a little redder, the papaya was a little sweeter, the water a little more mineral rich and overall, everything was a lot more delicious! I couldn’t stop eating! But the more I ate, the stronger I felt, the more vibrant I grew and the more radiant I looked. The first day I came back to work in New York, everyone commented on how healthy I looked, even the CEO said I was glowing!

Mmmmm fresh coconut water

Mmmmm fresh coconut water

When I returned home I was committed to keeping my radiance; but then I bit into a New York tomato and everything went down the toilet… The tomato was certified organic (from the store down the road), but I would give it a certificate only in ‘participation’ of being in the fruit family – it tasted nothing like the rich red fruit I had just a week ago!

My New York eating habits quickly returned: banana and nuts for breakfast, leafy salads for lunch and (in a 5 year old’s voice here) what-ever-the-hell-I-want for dinner, then a multi-vitamin to add nutrients to my may-as-well-have-been-eating-cardbord meal.

Admittedly, I don’t look as radiant. You see, Vilcabamba has purity in its soil, it feeds you vibrance. But for now, I live in New York city, a place that glistens even in the dark, it feeds me a different kind of light, a light I can synthesize for now.

Check out what I ate while I was in Ecuador…

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My mum is a once-a-month-super-chef. She puts on a very special ‘all raw’ four course lunch for the people of Vilcabamaba. When I was there, I helped prepare this amazing meal. We started with a mandarin juice (mandarins picked from our very own oasis) with chia seeds.

The first course was an amazing Thai inspired, creamy kelp and vegetable cold soup (remember, all natural, all raw).

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Second was a hearty nut and vegetable wrap with a refreshing side of slaw.

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Finally was the most delicious thing I ever put in my mouth… a chirimoya cheesecake! A what? A chirimoya cheesecake!! A what?? Google it!

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And to finish it all off properly, she even dried her own blend of tea leaves and made a most aromatic warm tea.

Jealous? Don’t be! My also-super-chef sister Tanya, owner of London based company – Better Raw, is coming here to Vilcabamba 19-25 November 2013 to host a retreat-extravaganza and you’re invited!! You can try living this vibrant life for yourself! Get details here.

I was so excited to share that! This will definitely be a unique experience! I hope to see you here (that’s right, I’ll be there too)!!!!!

The Mandala team in Ralph Lauren Denim & Supply

The Mandala team in Ralph Lauren Denim & Supply

The guests

The guests

Me playing waitress

Me playing waitress

Dad and I - super helpers

Dad and I – super helpers

Art in progress

Art in progress

the staff in uniform

the staff in uniform

fun fun fun fun fun!

fun fun fun fun fun!

A sunset rainbow to tie our day up like the gift that it was.

A sunset rainbow to tie our day up like the gift that it was.

Stay in tune, welcome to Vilcabamba,

Alissa


Alissa in Wonderland

Screen shot 2013-06-03 at 7.42.02 PMWelcome to a magical land called Vilcabamba…

A place where everything blossoms! When I say everything, I mean nature, wildlife, food, people and hearts.

A place where you don’t need to rush to do anything, because tomorrow (manana) is another day.

A place where you smell the fruit you’re about to buy, not to check the quality but because it’s so delicious that you just can’t resist.

A place where organic really means organic.

A place where people greet each other when they walk by.

A place where you drink living water right from a spring.

A place I have started to call home.

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My beautiful parents moved to this paradise three years ago and twice a year I come to visit – last week being one of those times.

This trip was the shortest ever, only 6 days! But within that time, I got to meditate in the sacred portal, I had my mandala read by the Shaman who taught me how to interpret mandalas for others; I went to the local coffee festival and markets, I got to read, eat the freshest, most delicious raw food (thanks Mum!) and most importantly, I got to spend time with my family.

I came back to New York “glowing” – as quoted by my co-workers :-)

Each time I go, I learn something new from my parents. This time was no exception. I learned that the best way to curb depression is to keep busy. And the best way to keep busy is to create. When you create, you expand your soul, you grow your presence and fulfill your purpose.

My Mum’s creation is her ever expanding garden and the vibrant food that comes from it. My Dad’s creation is the foundation for Mum’s garden, the decorations and the structures within, it’s a beautiful site. This is reflected in their intertwined spirits and in their relationship – one couldn’t exist without the other, it’s a beautiful sight.

What you create becomes a reflection of who you are, make sure it’s beautiful.

 

Stay in tune,

Alissa

 

Welcome to my home…

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Chakra Alignment and Connection to the Universe

Screen shot 2013-06-03 at 7.42.20 PMCharkas are the seven main energy centers of your body. We cultivate them subconsciously in different ways, with great variance. For most of us, this causes an imbalance within us – we feel fulfilled in some aspects of our lives and unsatisfied in others.

Today I want to show you how to expand and balance all your chakras, so you can realize at which level you have been living and gain insight into how you can continue to grow.

 

Start by sitting in a comfortable position on the floor – as close to the ground as you can be (preferably on the grass or on a rock outside). 

Your hands are your connection to people, so place them together in a prayer position so that your energy only circulates within you for this practice.

Your feet are your connection to the Earth, for this practice, close them also, so your energy circulates within you and doesn’t get grounded. You can either close them in prayer position like your hands, or place the soles of your feet so they are touching a part of your leg.

You are now ready. Your energy begins to circulate within you automatically. Filling you completely with your own vibration – as your outlets have been closed to give and receive energy from the earth and others, you are now beginning to vibrate at your core level. You don’t need to do anything right now. Just close your eyes, breathe and imagine this one color that you are filling you completely and dissolving anything that has been existing within you that isn’t you.

You are whole right now. Automatically! What color are you?

You can stop the meditation here, or if you want to raise your vibration to a higher level, continue on…

 

Continue sitting in this position. 

Screen shot 2013-05-19 at 6.56.17 PMImagine your entire being filled with the color red. While you are this color, grow some roots from your tail bone right into the earth, imagine how you are now immovable. Stay this color for as long as you need.

Screen shot 2013-05-19 at 6.56.33 PMNext, fill yourself with the color orange. Imagine a flower blooming in your pelvic area. If you’re uncomfortable here, stay until you reach a level of peace and realize the beauty of the flower that has blossomed there.

*Note: Color changes within you can be instantaneous or may take a few minutes – this depends on your core color. If it is red, it may take you a long time to go through every color, if it is white (the last step of this meditation), you will find it incredibly easy to go through the colors as you are already vibrating at a very high level.

Screen shot 2013-05-19 at 6.56.45 PMNow become yellow. Imagine a gleaming sun shining right from your core. Feel the power you have here, the rays shine right out of you and onto everyone around you. See how far they can reach – outside? around the whole city? the entire country? the world? the solar system? You are so bright that you are a star that someone in another galaxy is looking at right now.

Screen shot 2013-05-19 at 6.57.01 PMThen become green. It’s the peaceful break that you needed after giving so much light. You’re in your heart now and it feels wonderful. You have forgiven everyone for anything disagreeable they have ever done, they’re just children; we all are. You’re smiling, this feels good.

Screen shot 2013-05-19 at 6.57.17 PMNext, fill yourself with a pale blue. Clarity. Everything you’ve been through you can communicate. You are confident, strong and compassionate. You are growing. If you feel the need to let your arms float around now, you can do it. Be you, express how you’re feeling.

Screen shot 2013-05-19 at 6.57.32 PMNow you’re becoming a darker shade of blue, a deep indigo purple. You are in your third eye. You body, mind and soul are now aligned. Your intuition is free to speak to you now. Bring your hands back together, be still and listen. If you’ve had a burning question in your mind about some aspect of your life, now is the time to ask your intuition. The first answer will feel right, this is your truth.

Screen shot 2013-05-19 at 6.57.47 PMFinally, fill yourself with pure white light. This is the purest form of existence. Imagine an opening at the top of your head and this white light beaming into the universe like a flashlight. Now notice that the more you shine out into the Universe, the more light fills you. This is your connection, you have let the Universe in. You are an inseparable part of it now. 

While you are in your body, your red roots live in the ground, when the Earth’s vibrations rise, your vibrations will rise with it. Your soul is a piece of the Universe, if you stay connected and don’t separate yourself, your consciousness will grow with it and you will be capable of anything.

 

Which color was most comforatable for you to fill yourself with? I bet this is the core color you started this meditation with right? Going up may have been a little challenging, but I’m hoping the feeling you have now was worth it.

 

You’re in tune,

Alissa

 

P.S. If you’d like a private meditation class, check out my UC Events page here.

 

Welcome to my wonderful week:

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Positive Thinking is Delicious

Screen shot 2013-05-12 at 8.23.01 PMLately I’ve been noticing just how little I know about my own body. I know that I have all these organs, but when something in there hurts – I usually have no idea what it is. I take care of my general wellbeing by eating organic foods, taking vitamins and exercising, so when something isn’t right within me, I trust that I’m healthy enough for my body to work itself out.

In thinking about this, I realized that our body is a metaphor for the life we live and the experiences we have. The world we live in has webs of interconnectedness that (just like our insides) we cannot see,  yet somehow everyone and everything is connected, and ironically we can feel it in our gut.

me and my girlfriends celebrating my birthday

My girlfriends and I celebrating my birthday at PT in Williamsburg

Think of this web as your arteries, you don’t want to block your arteries with unhealthy foods because it could cause a heart attack, and you don’t want to block the web with bad thoughts because, well this could also cause a heart attack. What you put into your body will determine how you will feel in a few minutes and will determine how you look in a few months. What you put into the web (your relationships with yourself and others) will determine the depth and richness of them over time, and will also determine how you look and feel.

Food is for the vitality of your body. Thoughts are food for the vitality of your life. Make sure they’re both healthy and you won’t have to worry if something in your life goes wrong. If your mind is healthy, what ever situation you’re in, you can trust that it will work itself out.

 

Stay in tune,

Alissa

 

Welcome to my super sweet week:

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Rituals and Fries

JKJJAcross the World, throughout various cultures, societies and groups, you will find that pretty much all of them practice some kind of ritual.

I would define a ritual as a prophetic event. You and who ever you do the ritual with always know the outcome, i.e, you do the rain dance – the rain will come, you go outside for a cigarette – you calm down, you eat – you’re full, you meditate – you connect.

Some rituals are better than others, but I’m not judging. Instead, I want to propose for you to create a new ritual for yourself. One that helps you maintain a feeling of fulfillment.

My ritual is to write a post every Sunday about some philosophical wonder I’ve been thinking about all week, here on UC. It helps me maintain a sense of curiosity when I go about my week because I constantly search for inspirational triggers. But the most important thing is making sure that I actually share it – as energetic beings, we have a deep desire to connect and share the beauty we experience. This is what allows us to reach that feeling of fulfillment that we all seek.

What ever ritual you decide to create, even if it is one of the above, do it with someone. A simple ‘Tuesday night dinner with a friend’ ritual will induce that feeling of fulfillment as you grow your relationship while sharing your (beautiful) lives and maybe some fries.

In general, what ever you find beautiful, share it with at least one person and watch how you grow. :-)

 

Stay in tune,

Alissa

 

Welcome to my wonderful week:

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The Fulfillment Yin Yang

 

JKJJThe yin of fulfillment is the realization that what you have right now is enough.

The yang is awakening to the fact that what you have right now will never be enough; and then finding the strength within yourself to change your own destiny.

It’s all a matter of perception.

No matter what you choose, it will be a good decision.

 

Stay in tune,

Alissa

 

Welcome to my week:

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Life’s a Cup of Tea

JKJJWhat’s your favorite drink? Is it a particular smoothie, juice combo, cocktail, tea or coffee?

Think about the components of this drink. It’s successful according to your palette because of a perfect balance between all its constituents. Not only is it a perfect blend of what it contains but equally due to its success is what it does not contain.

Now think of this drink as a metaphor to your “cup of life” – which is hopefully half full (side note – if you feel like it’s full, get a bigger glass so you still have room to grow).

Screen shot 2013-04-14 at 10.35.59 AMMy cup is half full with a warm, honeyed jasmine green tea. It has to have the right amount of honey for my liking – too sweet and it’s undrinkable, not sweet enough and it’s unenjoyable. Same goes for temperature and tea bag saturation…

Another important thing to note is that if I started adding random ingredients like juice, cookies, wine or salad to my cup of tea (while I do enjoy these things on their own) –  it would lose its balance and no longer be enjoyable.

Moral of the story: you may enjoy and be passionate about a lot of things, and they may define you at different times of your life – as you are allowed to change your flavor preferences. But to be great, and I mean super successful at anything, you should really only drink one delicately balanced beverage at a time.

My green tea is my job at Ralph Lauren, the Jasmine tea blend is my Universe + Chorus work, the Honey is my sweet Husband and the water that holds all these components together is me.

This doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t make time for my family, friends and hobbies. All it means is that I know what’s in my cup – I know what is most important to me and everything else is a delicious accompaniment.

 

Stay in tune,

Alissa

 

Welcome to my tasty week:

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P.S. I just added a new friendship bracelet to the UC Love store, it’s called Ocean Calm. Check it out here.

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