 In my recent blog post, "The Spiritual Significance of the Fall Equinox: A Time for Reflection & Balance," I share my insight to the spiritual meaning behind the Fall Equinox. While contemplating about the fall season, I've noticed that the transition into fall has been tough for many people and the planet. Since fall signifies balance (and in celebration of one of my favorite signs Libra), I've decided to balance the art of giving and receiving. I am offering free distance Reiki to anyone who wants some extra light in their life. If you are not familiar with Reiki, I explain more about Reiki on my personal website. Reiki is basically energy. We use energy. We expend energy. We eat energy. And we can use energy to aide us through any situation. On October 3, 2016, I will conduct the Reiki healing session using a method that I've learned called a proxy-list. This is ideal for dealing with multiple (or mass) people / situations. I will write everyone's information on a list and then provide Reiki as a collective. Then, I will go down the list and send Reiki individually to everyone's session using the sacred Reiki symbols. I will perform the healing in a cute and quiet (my favorite) garden in Seattle, and "set up" my space with crystals and my Tibetan singing bowl. The picture of the garden is below & holds it's own special energy. After the healing ceremony is complete, I will send additional light and love and conclude with using my angel cards to give me "feedback" about the healing session, which I will share with all participants. You can use Reiki for basically about anything. Are you desiring a new job? Does your car need a "tune up?" Are you suffering from chronic pain? If you want to send healing to someone, it is best to get their permission first. Sending Reiki to pets is okay as pets are naturally intuitive and open to receiving. If you would like Reiki, please take the following steps: -Fill out the form below. Please send no more than 1-3 sentences about the situation you'd like Reiki. -Send your situation by 10/1/16 (Please no later than 9am PST 10/216). -Allow yourself to be open to receive on 10/3/16. -Stay posted for "signs" or messages that come your way. (Example, if you are desiring a new job and then someone sends you an email w/ a job opening. Its a good idea to apply for that position. It does not mean it will be the "one" but its part of the path.) *Please add your location. There are a ton of John Smith's and Shirley Schmidt's. This helps connect to the right guides & guardians.* **I will not accept Reiki forms for lottery requests or "aide" being sent to any hate organizations. This is the internet so this disclaimer will not accept requests for anything that hurts people, animals or the planet.* 
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Courtesy of Flow Magazine
After Burning Man, I realized one thing. I need to spend more time offline. Without cell reception for an entire week, my quality of life improved by 1000%.
Okay, I get it, we live in the technological age. But we humans are creatures of nature. Until we start birthing babies equipped with microchips in their head, I believe we all need to get offline. Most of us fill our boredom by spending time online and looking at everyone's "glamorous" life. Go outside. Take a deep breath. And start living your life. I bet it's way more amazing than clicking the "like" button all the time. If we like ourselves as much as we like other people's life than we'd all start noticing how amazing life off the line is. As always, inspired by the sun, Elizabeth Join Mind Body Soul Food Every Sunday for some inspiration -Sunspiration. Inspiration Every Sunday in 150 Words or Less. Let's Connect & Evolve our Community  Image created by Belinda Paton Throughout history, people from various cultures located across the world have celebrated the seasons and equinoxes. Fall, the transition into winter, is more than just pumpkin-spiced lattes and apple fritters. The fall equinox is the transition into winter. Like spring, fall balances lightness and darkness. Where as in Spring, we see equal parts of light and dark hours that transition into longer days; in the fall, we also experience equal parts of light and dark hours that transition into longer nights. The solstice falls on a different date every year, but it is important to connect that the fall equinox occurs at the start of when the sun enters the zodiac sign, Libra. Libra, The Scales, is known for its balance. Not only is this significant in balancing the equality between light and dark, but its symbolic to our personalities to recognize and reflect on the "darker" side of our charectar. There is a sense of shedding, or showing our true colors that is relevant to the fall. Just as the leaves foliate, we too can peel the layers of our skin to expose our true (or the beautiful parts of) nature. We can use the Libran energy to look at ourselves with a balanced and empathetic mindset without judgement. Judgement and compare and despair get us no-where in our path to spiritual enlightenment. There is no secret as to why poets and painters have been inspired by the fall, it is absolutely beautiful. Fall demonstrates that nature is an artist and that life can be nothing but beautiful. So, when we expose ourselves, humans naturally reveal their best traits, which is very Libran. Libra, ruled by Venus, is just beautiful in everything she (Libra) does. We can symbolically "rebirth" into beautiful creatures. If you look closely, nature fuses the rebirth and "death" process. Fall flowers bloom. Summer flowers like hydrangeas re-bloom. And trees foliate. It signifies balance. Once one thing dies, another thing blooms. The equinox also resembles letting go. The trees do not talk back or resist the nature flow of life. When the leaf is ready to fall, it does so. Although we feel that if we are starting our hibernation-mode and transition with the season, we notice we become more "home-bodies" as the season progresses. When we talk about balance, the fall equinox moves from the beauty of Libra to the deep dark sign of Scorpio. It's amazing that when the sun transitions to Scorpio, the "floral fireworks" of nature is pretty much over. Darkness begins to rule. The trees are bare, darkness begins to rule and we retreat indoors. So when we talk about balance, fall is like "yin and yang" - a balance of two contrasting energies. You can't have one without the other (Libran's beauty vs. Scorpio's death). "The poet Wallace Stevens once wrote, 'Death is the mother of beauty.'" And many cultures around the world celebrate death during Scorpio - Halloween (US), Day of the Dead (Mexico), Sunday of the Dead (Germany). And death doesn't always meaning physically losing a person, but its the end of cycles. Letting go of old ways or things that no longer serve you, or simply knowing that everything "dies." The best romantic night of your life will always end and we will always walk away from a job. Death is transitional. And since the weather cools and nature harvests more hearty and iron-rich foods during the fall season, it's a sign that we need to prep ourselves for what is about to come. Thus, the letting go process toughens us up. These thoughts and expressions are my own evaluation of studying nature, yoga and astrology. Free Fall Reiki to Anyone! I believe in the art and balance of giving and receiving. And what better time to give back than now during the fall season. On September 23, 2013 I went through my first Reiki training - right at the start of Libra - one of my favorite signs! For me, Reiki has been a powerful tool for self-healing and ascending me to the next level in my spiritual journey. In gratitude for everything that Reiki and life has given, I would like to giveaway free distance Reiki to anyone who wants help. What I will do is compile a proxy-list as I learned in one of my trainings. I will send reiki as a collective and then work down the list to send healing energy to everyone individually. I've noticed the transition into fall has been tough for many people and the planet. This inspired me to bring more light into people (and the planet's) life. Reiki can be sent to aide a particular situation in your life, or offering healing to a planetary problem. Maybe you'd like to send reiki to a soul that has recently passed? Maybe you'd like some "help" finding a new job? On October 3, 2016, I will send the reiki. If you would like Reiki, please take the following steps: -Fill out the form below. Please send no more than 1-3 sentences about the situation you'd like Reiki. -Email your situation by 10/1/16 (Please no later than 9am PST 10/216). -Allow yourself to be open to receive on 10/3/16. *I will not accept Reiki forms for lottery requests or "aide" being sent to any hate organizations. This is the internet so this disclaimer will not accept requests for anything that hurts people, animals or the planet.*
Family-Fun Recipe: Watermelon Pizza + Watermelon Sport Nutrition / Childhood Obesity Research9/21/2016 
Summer maybe coming to an end, but the school season has just begun. With the last bit of watermelon available in the grocery store, now families can make a perfect after-school / post-sport snack that actually helps kids (and teens/adults) recover from exercise.
Childhood obesity is still a problem across the USA. According to the CDC, 17% of American kids aged 2-19 are obese. In the Pacific Northwest, kids are more active and thus you do not see high bouts of obesity until you head to the rural areas.
In the Midwest, childhood obesity is still an "epidemic." A major role in getting kids healthy is to educate and gradually add in healthy food before cold-cutting it. I believe in the "add and then replace" method. Kids naturally crave sugar, but hopefully we can teach kids to eat right. Learning from the parents is essential. I know it works because I've seen how the Germans and French teach kids how to eat healthy from a young age. And trust me, some of these kids are eating "disgusting" food like tar tar and liver. Whole foods are a part of these cultures, but they also have high standards for healthy eating. Treats are treats and not a part of the daily meal. The entire culture and thought process around food differs in the US compared to most parts of the world.
This video above is well worth the watch to discover how watermelon helps with delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). When exercise is "felt" as painful, most people lose the desire to exercise and move. Kids who are sedentary will have a similar experience.
One goal is to connect the two habits of healthy eating and moving on a deeper level. As the video states, watermelon helps muscle soreness and exercise helps with the digestion and absorption of the good nutrients that we consume. It's a win-win situation.
I am a believer of whole foods, and this article that I wrote for the American Council on Exercise, "5 Whole Foods to Replace Ergogenic Aids," further explains how we can use whole foods to enhance our athletic pursuits. Why use products like Gatorade and salt-pills when nature provides us all the nutrients we need? The bright pink flowers of the summer inspired me to encourage kids and families to eat whole foods. As you can see, if nature can match the color of its flowers with fruit, you know it must be good food. 
Watermelon Pizza
Prep Time: 5 minutes Ingredients: Watermelon Any toppings that you'd like to use Slice the watermelon at least by 2 inches. Now, the Ayurvedic method from my yoga studies in India says "Melons. Eat it alone. Or leave it alone." In the west, we tend to combine alot of foods that the East says "no." You can top with anything such as grapes, coconut shreds or mango puree for "cheese" like I have below.
What is your trick to getting kids to eat whole foods? I'll be writing a separate blog post on how to get kids to eat better, but for now, happy pizza-eating!
If you have any questions, please comment below. I am more than happy to share my expertise! Let's Connect! 
Has the late summer sun got to you yet? If so, cool down with my vegan tropical peach smoothie.
Sometimes I call it a tropical sunrise smoothie, which I also featured on the American Council of Exercise's "What do ACE Pro's eat for Breakfast?" article. Not only did the summer sun inspire these recipes, but these tropical-like plants that grow nearby my apartment reminded me of the good old beach days! I love smoothies. But, I love making smoothies with coconut milk from the can. It brings extra-heartiness to the smoothie that increases satiation. 
Coconut smoothies remind me of my trip to Mexico where locals blended up fresh pineapple and banana mixed with canned coconut milk. Everytime I take a sip of paradise, I remember the good days of exploring the Riviera Maya beaches.
Tulum, my favorite RM town, is an enclave of artists and creatives. Born to chill, a smoothie is symbolic to increasing one’s energy after a tough day at the beach. Cool on the beach and hot in the town, tropical smoothies brought enough energy to shop at the many hand-made stores that sold dream catcher necklaces to hand-stitched purses. 
The fruits of nature are indeed some of the most refreshing foods on the planet.
Since peaches are in season, I altered a recipe that I used for my vegan cookbook manuscript and fused the best of the peaches and tropical flavors. It really doesn’t get any easier than this! Five minutes and you’re all set for the morning. 
Vegan Tropical Peach Smoothie
Prep Time: 5 minutes Ingredients: 1 banana 1 small mango 1.5 peaches ½ cup of coconut milk from the can (full fat) Directions: Remove the banana and mango ‘s flesh from its peel and pit. Place all the ingredients into a blender or food processor and mix until smooth. 
What's your favorite smoothie? If so let us know below!
If you'd like MBSF to make your favorite vegan-based smoothie recipe, contact us! Let's Connect! Remember you can save this recipe to your Yummly Recipe Box! 
For years I've been fascinated with the concept of "destruction and creation."
Many people believe the concepts are separate when in fact it is unified as one event. When something dies like a flower, it'll rebirth the following year. For some unknown reason, life as a human is meant to experience suffering. Sometimes the best things happen to us after we hit rock bottom. Look at the stock market, even though it crashed, it eventually rebounded to a successful state. That is life. A constant ebb and flow of good and bad times and the so called, "blessings in disguise." So if you are at a low point, celebrate it. Why? Because you know something good is on the horizon. As always, inspired by the sun, Elizabeth Join Mind Body Soul Food Every Sunday for some inspiration -Sunspiration. Inspiration Every Sunday in 150 Words or Less. Let's Connect & Evolve our Community 
I just returned home from Burning Man and am awe-inspired about the flow of life. The people you meet. The people you don't meet and everything in between. What do I mean?
I taught yoga and one of my classes was inspired by the element, water. Similar to a river, life keeps flowing while experiencing the ups and downs. A river will keep moving in one direction but may find the water drifting up a rock, slightly plateauing and then spilling over the rock, continuing the path downstream. Everything in this moment is supposed to happen - good or bad. Everything is a learning experience and lessons are a big part of our existence. Keep on flowing my friends. As always, inspired by the sun, Elizabeth Join Mind Body Soul Food Every Sunday for some inspiration -Sunspiration. Inspiration Every Sunday in 150 Words or Less. Let's Connect & Evolve our Community |
AuthorElizabeth Rae Kovar M.A. is Author of her memoir, Finding Om and is a Fitness Trainer, Yogi, Reiki Master, Presenter and Lover of Life. To view her portfolio please visit www.elizabethkovar.com 
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